


An unsuspected terror

by Delta_0



Category: Ghost (Sweden Band)
Genre: Angst, Blood and Gore, Drama, Horror, Love, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Romance, Survival Horror
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:54:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 31,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25571674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Delta_0/pseuds/Delta_0
Summary: An unknown visitor is threatening the safety of the clergy while also bringing two men closer together
Relationships: Cardinal Copia/Papa Emeritus III, Papa Emeritus lll/Cardinal Copia
Comments: 39
Kudos: 41





	1. An awkward working day

Cardinal Copia was currently staring ahead of him nervously. He kept his gaze focused on the wall as he listened to the steps of his superior slowly walking along the line of other cardinals beside him. In the corner of his eye, he could see him carefully studying the men as he moved pass them. He swallowed, observing the patterns and colors on the wallpaper across the room to distract himself from his anxiety. 

Once Papa Emeritus the third came into his line of sight, he was forced to tear his gaze off the wall to settle it on him instead. He had never worked for any of Nihil's sons before and it made him slightly nervous. Especially from the way this one examined them. He didnt know the reason for it, but he didnt really care either. He noticed that the corner of Papa's lips slowly stretched into a soft smirk now and he supposed that he had picked up on his nervousness. He didnt doubt that it was displayed all across his face at this point, but he couldnt help it. He suspected that he wouldnt have to be anxious for much longer though as Papa would probably turn him down. He probably didnt want to pick a nervous wreck as one of his three cardinals. 

Apparently he was wrong as the man suddenly gestured for him to step aside and join the other two that had been chosen before him. With a simple bow he left his spot in the line of cardinals to do as he was told, feeling even more nervous now. 

"You may leave", he heard Papa saying to the rest of the men, waiting for them to do so before he closed the door behind them. Next, he turned to his three remaining cardinals, his gaze traveling between them for a moment before he gestured for them to follow him.

"Come", was all he said as he started walking through the room and down a small hallway. Copia followed nervously, wondering what kind of work he would be assigned to do. When they eventually arrived to the pope's office room, the man headed over to his desk to pick up a stack of papers which he handed to the cardinal closest to him. 

"I need these to be delivered to my ghouls", he explained, diverting his gaze for a moment to glance at Copia before it returned to the man before him.

"Yes, Papa", the cardinal replied, taking the papers from him before giving him a small bow. Then he was off. Papa then turned to the second man he had picked and reached into the pocket of his papal robes to pull out a small key, as well as a piece of paper. 

"I need you to get me a couple of things from the storage. Ok?" he handed the things over to him with his eyebrows raised a little. 

"Of course, Papa", the man replied with a small nod before he too left the room. Now the pope turned to face Copia, giving him a small smile. The nervous aura about him intrigued him somehow. 

"Alright then", he started, taking a small step towards his cardinal. He looked towards the doorway then, gesturing for him to follow him. Once they arrived to his livingroom, he pointed to a door far off in the corner.

"You may start with swiping the floor", he said. "Everything you'll need is in there", he added and observed Copia's reaction. The cardinal was of course a little bit surprised. Cleaning wasnt exactly something that high ranked clergy members were assigned to do. He nodded nonetheless.

"Yes, Papa", he replied before he started making his way over to the broom closet. It didnt really matter if he liked this or not. He was there to do whatever his superior needed help with today.

In the background, Papa watched him curiously while his arms folded over his chest. This cardinal wasnt as forward as most people he had been working with. Not as confident. He seemed a bit awkward and...even shy. He knew this because he had seen him interact with his father at times. His behaviour interested him and that's why he had decided to keep him around for a bit. Eventually, he turned to leave the room.

"If you need something, you can just knock", he told him before he left, heading back to his office. 

Copia was a bit nervous about doing a good job. He didnt know why he felt so anxious though. Perhaps it was something about Papa's behaviour that made him feel on edge. He brought a broom out of the closet then to start swiping the floor. He wondered if he wanted all of his rooms cleaned, or just the livingroom. He didnt want to disturb him this early on though, so he figured that he should just go ahead and clean the whole place up. About half an hour later, he was done and was rather sweaty and so he decided on taking his coat off. Had he known that he would be cleaning, he might have dressed differently. He hung it over the back support of a chair before sitting down to rest for a couple of minutes. 

Cleaning had at least distracted him from his thoughts and his feelings of anxiety, but as he was now heading to the pope's office, they were slowly coming back to him. Once he had reached the door, he knocked carefully on it, hoping that he wasnt interrupting anything important. 

Inside the office, Papa was quietly sorting some papers, occasionally writing something down on some of them when he heard a knock on his door. 

"Come in", he called out without taking his eyes off his work. He put a stack of papers aside as he listened to the door opening in the background. Since his cardinal didnt say anything, he supposed that he would have to, and so he turned around in his chair to face him. He noticed that he had taken his coat off and he had to restrain himself from smiling. 

"Come for some more work, I assume?" he asked as he slowly stood to make his way across the room. Copia just nodded, biting down on his bottom lip nervously. 

"Well, I'd like to have the floors moped also", Papa explained as he stopped about a meter from the other, quietly watching him now. Again, Copia nodded.

"Yes, Papa", he replied, remaining in the doorway for a moment in case the pope had something more to say. Since it didnt seem that way, he turned and steered his steps back towards the livingroom again. 

Behind him, Papa curiously watched him go, wondering what else he could have him do so that he could keep him around longer. Copia was a rather cute and interesting person who he would very much like to get to know better. 

An hour or so passed and darkness was slowly falling outside. Copia was currently moping the kitchen floor, feeling a bit tired at this point. He sure wasnt used to this much physical work. Most of it was paper work and rituals of different sorts. He straightened up slightly to rub his lower back, thinking that he needed to take a break. Why was he the only one doing all this cleaning? Right as he thought of this, he felt his foot slipping on the wet floor, making him lose his balance and send him falling on his butt. In the process of it all, he had managed to kick the bucket of water over, causing it to flood the kitchen. The pain in his poor butt was nothing compared to the fear that he was currently feeling. He sat there frozen, terrified that Papa might have heard his little mishap. Why was he such a clutz? Why did he have to screw the simplest things up? While he was beating himself up over it, he could hear a door opening in the distance, confirming that the accident had alerted the pope. 

He didnt dare to move, but stayed put as he listened to the approaching footsteps. It was with a horrified expression on his face that he looked up at his superior when he appeared in the doorway a moment later. The said man didnt seem upset or anything like that though. He just looked surprised as his gaze traveled from Copia and to the bucket and then back again. What happened next surprised him as Papa suddenly burst out laughing. His fear slowly subsided, but was now replaced by a feeling of humiliation instead. While the other was having fun in the doorway, Copia carefully moved to try and get up on his feet. The backside of his pants were completely soaked, making him feel even more embarrassed. 

"Allow me", came the soft voice of Papa suddenly and he looked up to see him standing over him with his hand reached out for him to take it. He did and was quickly pulled to his feet, avoiding eye contact for the moment. He was glad that he wasnt angry at least. He supposed that he wasnt very much like his father after all. 

Papa watched Copia with a calm, slightly amused gaze now, finding his timid ways very cute and charming.

"How about you clean this mess up and then...", he paused. "Are you good at cooking?" he asked, smiling at him now. 

Copia was rather confused by the question as it wasnt work suitable for a cardinal. Neither was cleaning really, but this just made less sense to him. Didnt he have any ghouls around to do those things for him? Or sisters? He would of course never question his superior's orders, but he did find them a bit weird. 

"Sure..", he said quietly before reaching down to pick up the mop that he had dropped during his fall.

"Good. I'll let you know when I have decided on a dish", Papa said before he turned to leave the kitchen to retreat back to his office for now. 

As Copia tried to get the pool of water off the floor, he again started to wonder why none of the other cardinals did any cleaning. Could wonder if they werent coming back soon. He felt like he was doing all the work here. It didnt take him very long to fix the mess he had made and he made sure to put everything away in their rightful places before he went over to the office once again. He knocked and waited, taking a step back to make room for the door when it would be opened. When it finally was, he was met with a rather excited Papa. 

"Well then", the pope started, letting Copia move out of the way before he exited his office. "Lets just make a simple carbonara. Alright? I dont really have much of an appetite for anything too flavourful today", he explained as he took the lead towards the kitchen. This afternoon had really gone by fast and he found it sad that Copia would have to leave soon. At least he would get to see him tomorrow again.

"Perfect", he commented with a small smile as he stopped in the doorway. All the water was gone and dried up and the floor looked clean and nice. He only stopped for a second though before he entered the room. "There are knives over there", he said, pointing to the corner where a few bigger ones were mounted on the wall. Copia just nodded and headed over there to pull one down. He also found a cutting board nearby which he brought with him to the closest counter. 

"Everything alright?" Papa asked him suddenly before tossing a big piece of panchetta to him. "You're being awfully quiet", he pointed out while watching him curiously.

"Yes, Papa", Copia replied, glancing at him before he started to remove his gloves. 

"You can go home after we have finished cooking. I understand that you're tired", Papa started again, still watching him. 

"A bit", Copia replied as he put the gloves away in a pocket to wash his hands. 

Papa did feel a bit bad for him now. He didnt want to put him through too much work in one day. Perhaps he had kept him around for too long...

"You're welcome to stay for dinner if you like", he said then, actually causing the cardinal to finally look at him and to stop what he was doing. "I realized that I have made you work alot today. I'm so used to having ghouls around four many hours at a time. They're a bit more hardy than people", he added with a soft smirk. 

"That's not really necessary, Papa", Copia ensured him as he started cutting the meat. He was rather tired and would prefer going back to his quarters to rest. 

"No, I insist", Papa replied. "I usually dont have any company for dinner. Or for lunch either for that matter", he explained with a sigh. "It would be nice for a change. That's all", he added before he pulled some parmesan and eggs from the fridge. 

Copia thought about it for a moment. He wasnt fully comfortable with having a private dinner with his superior, but since he really seemed to want him to stay, he didnt want to be rude and turn him down. 

"Alright..I'll stay", he replied eventually, taking his eyes off the meat for a moment to glance at Papa. Of course this would be the moment where his knife slipped a little and he jumped and dropped it as it cut his finger. The pain wasnt so bad, but he was bleeding pretty much. 

"Oh, Copia...", Papa sighed, moving over to him to gently take his hand to have a look at the wound. This surprised Copia a bit, but he didnt really mind. 

"Rinse it off. I'll be right back", Papa said as he let go of him to head out of the kitchen. Again, Copia felt stupid for screwing up. This was the second time he had made a fool of himself infront of his pope and he wouldnt be surprised if he would switch him for someone else the next day... The cold water made his wound sting a bit, but he kept rinsing it off until Papa came back. The man had brought a couple of tissues and a bandaid and he gestured for him to give him his hand again, which he did. Copia then waited as his finger was getting wiped clean. He hadnt imagined Papa being so caring.... He was again surprised by how different he was compared to his grumpy father. The bandaid was now wrapped around his finger, making him feel better already.

"There. All done", Papa said, smiling. "Unless you want me to kiss it better", he added with a playful, yet sensual tone to his voice. This obviously shocked Copia and he felt his cheeks turning red from embarrassment. He struggled to come up with something to say. Before he could though, Papa spoke again.

"I'm kidding", he said, chuckling a bit as he stepped back to give the awkward cardinal some space. That was only half true though. He wouldnt mind giving his hand a little kiss. He was really starting to grow on him. 

"Are you ok with cooking still?" he asked, noticing that Copia was avoiding eye contact.

"Yes", the cardinal replied, turning away to start working on cutting the panchetta again. Papa just nodded and decided to leave his subordinate to his work. The sound of his phone could soon be heard ringing and he headed to his bedroom to pick it up. Copia quietly kept working, wondering why Papa had teased him like that. Maybe he did that to everyone... His thought process was interrupted though when the sound of a door opening reached him and he heard footsteps walking across the floors outside the kitchen. He supposed that it was one of the other cardinals returning. Thoughts of the recent events soon circled around in his brain again, but didnt for long as he was soon again interrupted by footsteps and distant voices. He could hear Papa talking to the man who had just entered the quarters and soon the footsteps came closer to the kitchen.

"I need to go out for a moment", the pope's voice came from the doorway suddenly. "You can continue with the cooking in the meantime."

"Yes, Papa", Copia replied simply, but didnt hear him leaving so he paused to glance at him over his shoulder. As he had suspected, one of the other cardinals had returned and was now waiting behind Papa. 

"I need to see my father. Apparently something broke in through the attic and has vandalized it", he said, sounding a bit concerned. "They dont know what it is but it left scratch marks bad enough to cut through wood...", Papa trailed off, watching as Copia's expression slowly turned to one of horror. "Dont worry. I'll summon a few ghouls to guard my quarters while I'm gone", he ensured him. Copia wasnt sure of what to say to that, so he simply nodded, his gaze becoming slightly unfocused as he turned back to his work. Papa didnt know what else to say either, so he returned to his office to call his strongest ghouls over. He would have two of them escort him down to his father's office, as well as to escort his cardinal back home. He didnt feel great about leaving Copia by himself, despite knowing that he was safer with the ghouls than with him. He couldnt do anything about it. He needed to see his father. 

Once the ghouls arrived to his quarters, he took his second cardinal with him, making sure that the door was locked behind him. He was a bit concerned about the situation. Not as much for his own safety as for Copia's though. He supposed that he was really starting to fancy him. Thinking it through as they walked, he decided that he definitely did have some feelings for him. 

\----

Back in the kitchen, Copia kept preparing their dinner, feeling slightly less awkward now that Papa was gone. Another kind of anxiety came to replace it though as he didnt like the feeling of knowing that there was something out there that might or might not want to kill them. It could easily get in through one of the unguarded windows if it wanted to. Fortunately Papa's quarters were on the third floor, but who knew if that thing could climb... He tried to focus on his work instead and brought out a frying pan for the meat, as well as a pot for the pasta. While he was waiting for the water to boil, he sat down by the kitchen table, curiously studying the interior in there. 

\----

Once Papa arrived to his father's office, he knocked and awaited permission to enter. A moment later, the door was opened and he was faced with his second oldest brother. 

"Hey..", he greeted him, receiving a nod in return. Nihil was sitting behind his desk, looking impatient as he folded his hands before him. As Papa stepped inside, he also spotted his oldest brother in there, as well as a few ghouls. The atmosphere in the room was rather serious and gloomy. At first, their father didnt say anything, but simply stood to make his way across the room.

"Come", he gestured for them to follow him once he reached the door. "That abomination might still be around", he grumbled as they proceeded out into the hallway. The ghouls were also following them, of course. "You will have to set your ghouls up for guard duty. We will need every single one of them to ensure the safety of everyone in this church", he continued as he lead them up the staircase and down another corridor until they eventually reached the attic.

"Look at this crap", he gestured angrily to the walls and the floor as he stopped. There was quite alot of trashed things and broken cardboard spread throughout the corridor, but what was most shocking was the deep, massive scratch marks on the wall. Pieces of it was missing. There had to have been quite a force behind them... In the corner of his eye, Papa saw his second oldest brother walking up to the wall to touch one of the marks. 

"What could this...creature be..?" Papa asked no one in particular. No one answered him, but his father started to order a couple of ghouls to start cleaning up the mess. "Anything else I need to know? Or can I go?" he sighed, looking at his father again. He didnt really see why they needed to come all this way here just to look at the mess. 

"Yes, but dont go out and about without a ghoul", Nihil told them before he turned to glare at the scratches on the wall, muttering something under his breath. "I will have that thing's head for this...", he grumbled then and Papa watched as his oldest sibling moved over to their father to pat his shoulder.

"Be careful", he told him before he started to leave. Papa decided to follow, wanting to get back to his quarters already. He had been working non stop all day and this was the last thing he needed right now. Their second brother also left with them, leaving their father alone with his ghouls. Papa's stomach let out a soft, growling sound as they walked and he hoped that dinner would be ready when he came back home. 

\----

By this time, Copia had almost finished the dish and was currently mixing everything together. He had also put plates and cuttlery on the table for them. He realized that he must have been pretty relaxed because he jumped when he suddenly heard the door to the quarters open. He could hear what he assumed to be Papa moving around in the livingroom and so he decided to take the pot off the heat to put it on the table. He then approached the exit to the kitchen to go and see how his superior was doing when he suddenly almost collided with him in the doorway. Papa just grinned at him.

"Hello", he greeted him, waiting for him to step aside so that he could enter the room. He then inhaled a deep breath as he moved over to the table. "It smells wonderful", he commented and flashed his cardinal a quick grin before taking a seat by the table. He was tired and hungry and he couldnt wait to get some food in his belly. Copia rounded the table to take a seat opposite of him, feeling nervous again. He wasnt fully comfortable with having dinner with Papa like this, but he would of course do what he asked of him. At least he was alot nicer than Nihil. Both were quiet for the first couple of minutes as they ate in silence, enjoying the food. 

"So...Tell me about yourself", Papa said suddenly, leaning back in his chair while lazily scooping some pasta up with his fork. He noted that Copia looked rather surprised by what he had said before he turned his gaze down to stare at his plate. Papa continued anyway. "What do you enjoy doing?" he asked, trying to make it easier for him. Copia just chewed quietly for a few moments, gathering his thoughts before he answered.

"... I suppose I.... tend to be with my rats.... or... I like going for swims..", he replied stiffely, poking his food with his fork now.

"Swimming is nice", Papa replied with a soft smile. "The lakes around here are really nice", he added, scooping some more food into his mouth. "This is really good by the way", he added and he noticed that Copia glanced up at him now. The said man nodded then and returned to staring down at his plate as he ate. Papa found his timidness so cute, but he wished he would open up more. 

"Did you... find that thing that broke into the attic?" Copia decided to ask then in hopes that the other would stop asking him questions about his private life. He didnt mind sharing things with others. It was just too early for him. 

"Ooh..No... but the ghouls are on guard duty from now on and we're not allowed to leave our homes without at least one of them", Papa explained, finishing his plate now. He realized that he didnt have any water, or any glass for that matter and so he stood to move over to the sink. 

"I see...", Copia replied quietly. He was a bit concerned, but since the church was full of ghouls, he didnt want to worry about it too much. 

"Are you worried?" Papa asked him before he came over with his glass of water. He carefully placed a hand on the cardinal's shoulder, squeezing it lightly. "You dont need to be...Ok? I wont let any harm come to you", he continued with a softer voice, making Copia feel very uncomfortable. He tensed up immensely and his heart started beating fast in his chest. He was starting to wonder about Papa's intentions when the hand retreated from his shoulder and he suddenly felt the back of it stroking his cheek. He immediately jumped up from his chair, almost tripping over it as he backed away a couple of meters. He stared at Papa in shock, eyes widened for a few moments before he turned hurried out of the room. His superior followed, of course.

"Copia. Wait", Papa sounded a bit worried and he followed him all the way to the door to the quarters. He didnt want to be too intrusive, but as he realized that his cardinal was about to leave, he felt the need to reach out and grab his arm to stop him. "That thing might still be out there", he warned him, his heart beating fast in his chest as he awaited some sort of a response. Copia had allowed him to stop him, but he refused to face him. A few seconds passed before he pulled out of his grip to grab the door handle, swinging the door open. The four ghouls out there looked up at them in silence and then watched as Copia hurried down the hallway. 

"You two", Papa pointed at two of them. "Escort him back to his place", he ordered them gravely, feeling like he could burst right there and then. He kept his emotions at bay though. All of this was his fault and his fault alone. He was afraid that something might happen to Copia on his way home and so he made sure that the ghouls were catching up with him before he felt comfortable enough to retreat back into his quarters again. He felt like such a stupid idiot. He might have just ruined everything for himself just because he had been impatient. He huffed angrily before kicking a nearby piedestal, causing the vase on top of it to fall off and shattered into a thousand pieces on the floor. 

"Damnit...", he growled under his breath before he headed to his bedroom to throw himself onto the bed, burying his face in his pillow. Now that he had gotten some of his anger out of his system, pain was taking over instead and he started to worry about having screwed up his chances to romance the cardinal. 

\----

Back in his quarters, Copia had sat down in his livingroom, feeling upset and humiliated. He was still pretty shocked and thoughts of what he was supposed to do about tomorrow was circling around in his head. He wondered if Papa was messing with him, but he didnt think so. He had seemed genuine somehow.... He let out a heavy sigh before he stood to head over to the kitchen, thinking that he should clean up a bit before going to bed. There was no way he could relax right now anyway. He was too anxious.


	2. chapter 2

The next morning, Copia woke up, still feeling tired. He hadnt gotten as much sleep as he would have liked, but thoughts of the events from yesterday had kept bothering him. Pushing them away hadnt really helped. His brain had just refused to shut down. Sighing, he teared his gaze off the ceiling to push himself up to sit. He suspected that he would need alot of coffee today. Especially if he was going to do more physical work. Once he had moved off the bed, he headed to the kitchen to make some, and to also make a sandwich. He didnt feel like eating, but he knew that he would need something in his belly.

He was so nervous about going back to Papa's quarters. Even more so than the day before. Everything just felt confusing and surreal to him right now and he had tried to explain the pope's actions away, but he just couldnt. Would he have to assume that he was actually flirting with him...? For real...? He couldnt help but to blush at the memory of his hand against his cheek, but he quickly pushed it away to somewhere in the back of his mind. He didnt want to think or feel right now. He was too tired and too anxious to waste any energy on things like that. Instead, he grabbed his cup of coffee to bring it with him to the livingroom where he kept his beloved rats. They needed to be fed too. A couple of them came running to him from under a chair and he crouched to greet them.

"Good morning", he coed, letting one of them climb up into his hand. It affectionately licked his wrist before scuttering up his arm and up on his shoulder. The other one simply sniffed his hand and then sprinted off again. He decided to sit down for now to just relax and to keep his mind off work. That was easier said than done though. As he slowly drank his coffee, he watched as a few of his rats scuttered around, playing or exploring. He was thankful to have them as he was often feeling lonely. Especially since he had been feeling anxious about his new job lately. The affectionate little rodents just simply made him feel better. 

As time was ticking by pretty fast in the mornings, he decided to chug down the rest of his coffee now before getting up to pull out a bag of rodent fodder from a nearby closet. He then proceeded with filling their bowls with it, smiling as more rats came out from their hiding places to feed. Once he was done, he put the bag away again and gently grabbed the rat on his shoulder to bring it to his mouth for a soft kiss on its back. He then crouched to carefully put it down on the floor. Next, he left the room to take a quick shower and to make himself ready for another day of work. He was pretty surprised to hear a knock on his door a moment later and he gazed up at himself in the bathroom mirror. He wasnt expecting anyone... Did something happen..? He hurried out of the room now and all the way over to his front door to unlock it and to hesitatingly pull it open. Out there were four ghouls staring back at him and his heart dropped as he feared the worst. 

"What is going on?" he asked them rather nervously as he looked between them before one of them stepped forward to give him a slight bow.

""Sir. His unholiness the third has asked us to escort you to his quarters whenever you are ready", he explained, surprising Copia, but making him feel relieved, of course. 

"I see", he sighed, stepping over the treshold to close the door behind him. He couldnt remember Papa giving him any specific time to show up, but then again.... their previous encounter had ended rather abruptly and he had left in a hurry... "I'm ready", he added as he locked the door and then quietly started walking down the hallway. Two of the ghouls followed him while the remaining ones stayed outside his door. He supposed that they had finally been put on guard duty then. His suspicions about it were soon to be confirmed as they moved up to the third floor where ghouls had been placed outside each and every door. It was the floor where all the Papas had their quarters, as well as Sister Imperator, so it made sense. This made his thoughts travel away to the third and anxiety instantly washed over him. He almost felt as though he wanted to turn and run back home, but he knew that he couldnt do that. This was his job now and he would simply have to face his fears. 

Once they finally arrived to Papa's door, Copia felt as if his heart was going to burst out of his chest at any second. Even so, he didnt waste any time on hesitating, but reached up to knock on the door, now waiting anxiously for Papa to answer it. Someone must have been close by because it took no more than seconds for it to open, but he wasnt faced with his superior, but with yet another ghoul. In a way, it was a relief, but on the other hand it would just prolong his anxiety. The ghoul stepped aside then to let Copia inside and he thanked him quietly before taking a few steps inside the quarters.

The sound of the front door opening made Papa feel a bit tense. He knew who his newly arrived guest was, but he didnt exactly want to rush over to greet him. He felt bad about last night and he wasnt sure of how to approach him. He remained by his desk for another minute or so before he decided that he needed to face his cardinal. With a slight increase of heartbeats in his chest, he stood and headed over to the door to exit the room. He was concerned about Copia possibly being angry with him, and for good reasons. Once he arrived to his hall, he held his head high, making eye contact with the cardinal. He looked a bit nervous to him and he hoped that his own anxiety didnt show. 

"Cardinal", he greeted him formally, receiving a bow in return.

"papa", Copia replied automatically, forcing himself to keep eye contact with him despite his high levels of anxiety. Without another word, the pope gestured for him to come with him, but not to his office this time, but to the livingroom.

"I want to...ask for your forgivness", Papa spoke quietly, sounding ashamed of himself. His gaze was fixed on the couch as he passed it and he didnt turn to face his cardinal even as he stopped. Copia hadnt at all expected him to feel sorry for his actions and so he was a bit surprised to hear him apologizing. He scratched his arm awkwardly as he thought his next words through carefully. 

"It's fine..", he replied eventually, tensing up a little when Papa turned to look up at him with a serious expression on his face.

"No. It's not", he replied, sighing and diverting his gaze elsewhere. "I apologize... It wont happen again", he ensured him, still keeping his gaze down. 

"...Alright..", Copia replied, not really knowing what else to say. He was actually feeling a bit better now and alot less anxious. The next time Papa lifted his gaze up to meet his, he looked a bit less gloomy too. 

"Would you like to cook again? There are ingredients for a stew in the fridge", he said as he started moving back towards the doorway, and Copia waited for him to pass him before he followed him out of the room.

"Sure", he replied. Going back to the kitchen did make him feel a bit uncomfortable due to what happened their yesterday, but he didnt think he would have to worry about it anymore. Not now when Papa had realized his mistake. 

"Actually", the pope stopped suddenly, almost making Copia bump into him. "I would like to have my windows cleaned", he spun around to face the cardinal, receiving a nod in return. 

"Of course, Papa", Copia replied. He wasnt as opposed to cleaning today as he was yesterday. He had kind of gotten used to it by now and anything was better than to have to feel uncomfortable and anxious because of unwanted touches. 

"You know where the equipment is", were Papa's last words before he started walking off again. He thought he would keep things more professional from now on. He didnt want to cross any lines with him again. This was of course a change in behaviour that Copia took notice of, but he shrugged it off as being nothing before he headed back towards the livingroom. He found two different kinds of window cleaning sprays, feeling a bit insecure about which one to choose. He told himself that it probably didnt matter though and just picked one before bringing the equipment with him towards Papa's office. Right now, he was feeling rather calm and collected, which was a good start for the day. As he neared the office, he almost ran into one of the other cardinals as he passed the bathroom. From the looks of it, the man had been ordered to take care of Papa's laundry and Copia was a bit surprised to see someone other than him doing some cleaning around here. 

When he finally reached the office, he knocked lightly on the door and waited for Papa to give him permission to enter. He thought he should get the most awkward room cleaned first so that he could relax again. It wasnt really the room that was awkward to him, but the fact that Papa was in it. Once he heard his voice from inside, he slowly opened the door to bring his equipment in, noticing that the man didnt even look up at him. He was just turning and old thurible over in his hands before putting it away on the desk to start writing something down. It was kind of like he didnt even notice his presence... Perhaps he was just really busy. Or maybe in deep thoughts. He couldnt help but to wonder... 

Some time passed as they were both working in silence. Not a single word was uttered between them and Papa didnt even look up at Copia once under all this time. He was keeping himself distracted with his paper work, as well as his thurible. He was bored to say the least. He knew he would have to get a new one, but he was just feeling too lazy to deal with it right now. He was also feeling a big lack of motvation today. Partly because of how his cardinal had rejected him last night. His deep thinking came to an abrupt end though when the said man's voice suddenly broke through to him. He still didnt lift his gaze to look at him though. 

"Would you like me to clean all the windows?" was the question and he had to think about it for a moment. He didnt want to exhaust Copia, but they did need to be cleaned. 

"Yes", was all he said and was met with silence. Eventually though, he could hear the man gathering his things to leave. 

Once outside the office, Copia was starting to wonder why Papa was being so distant today. He had seemed to have been in such a good mood the day before, as well as more talkative. He wondered if it had anything to do with him or not... Only time would tell, he supposed. He decided on heading to the bathroom next and that's when he realized how tired he was. Perhaps he should ask Papa if he would be ok with him making some coffee. He was afraid that he might not be able to work all day without it. As he reached the bathroom, he sprayed the window and started cleaning it. As he did, the bright sun was shining in through the glass, blinding him slightly and making his eyes feel even more tired. Typical... It took him about half an hour to clean the remaining windows in the premises and then he was about done for. He struggled to keep his eyes open at this point as he rinsed the equipement off and put it back into the closet. 

Back in his office, Papa's frustration and downhearted mood had eventually pushed him to the limit and he had given up on working for a while. He had decided to take it upon himself to cook as he knew that his cardinals were currently busy elsewhere anyway. He didnt really mind it though. He wanted something to do rather than to just sit around and think. When he arrived to the kitchen, he brought out everything he needed for the stew and got started with it. Despite this great distraction, he couldnt help but to feel that it wasnt enough. If it hadnt been for the circumstances in the church right now, he might have gone out for a walk. He could of course take a ghoul or two with him for protection, but he would rather go out alone. Perhaps he should go and pay his brothers a visit, or his ghouls... Just anything to make him feel less lonely. He wasnt sure of why he felt that way today. He just did. 

Back at the office, Copia had just arrived to let Papa know that the windows were all cleaned. The room seemed empty though so he strolled around the quarters until he finally found him in the kitchen. He didnt enter right away but watched the man in silence for a while, wondering why he was suddenly cooking. It was something that he could easily make any of his subordinates do. 

"Papa..?" he spoke up eventually and stepped over the treshold. The pope just threw a glance over his shoulder before going back to cutting carrots. 

"yes?" he replied, seemingly very busy with his vegetables. Copia dared to take another step inside, fiddling with his fingers a bit before speaking again.

"The windows are all cleaned", he announced, turning his gaze to the floor then. For some reason, he was starting to feel nervous again. 

"Good. Can you hang the laundry also? I need to send my other cardinal away for an errand", Papa replied without even glancing at him. He just kept cutting. 

"Of course, Papa", Copia replied and decided that it was probably for the best that he left right away. It seemed more and more like the man wanted to be alone, or....maybe just away from him. For some reason, it made him feel a tad bit sad. He didnt want Papa to be upset with him...Even though the events of yesterday was his own fault. With a heavy sigh, he headed to the bathroom. He was actually starting to miss the old Papa now. The cheerful, talkative one... He sort of missed being courted by him... Or did he really..? Maybe what he felt for his superior right now was just admiration... That could be it. He swallowed as he stepped into the room to start hanging the freshly washed laundry. He was going through different options in his head about how he could make Papa cheer up some. He didnt want this strange tension inbetween them. 

When he was done with the laundry, he headed to the kitchen again to once again find that Papa was gone. Water was boiling in a pot on the stove, and chopped carrots, onions and meat were laying piled up on the cutting board. He supposed that he would have to look for him yet again then... His first pick was the office and he discreetely peeked inside the already opened door to see him sitting by his desk again. He looked rather tired, and a bit downhearted too... He didnt get the chance to say anything though before the man noticed his presence and looked up at him with a questioning look in his eyes. 

"The laundry is done..", he told him now that he had actually gotten his attention, and as expected, he would of course get some new tasks to deal with. 

"Thank you", Papa replied and proceeded with gathering a pile of papers on his desk. "You may sort these according to color", he told him, keeping his gaze on him for a bit before he eventually diverted it elsewhere. 

"Yes, papa", Copia replied, as always and walked up to him to receive the papers. Once it was done, he headed out there immediately to go and sit down by the kitchen table. He didnt want to disturb him any more than necessary. As he started to sort the papers, he was again reminded of how tired he was and he lifted his head to look towards the coffee maker on the counter. There was also a kettle next to it. Perhaps tea would be a nice alternative to coffee... As he tried to decide on what he wanted, an idea struck him like lightning from the sky suddenly. What if he would make some tea for Papa...? He had seemed tired too. Perhaps it would cheer him up a little.   
Feeling more motivated now, he stood to head over to the counter where he filled the kettle with water. As he did, he pondered on what flavours Papa might like. He had no idea since he didnt know him at all, but he supposed that anything that he had in his cupboard would do. He rummaged through it until he found one that sounded good to him. A simple peach tea. He took his sweet time preparing it, doing so with love to make it taste as good as possible. To his delight, he also found some honey to put in it, as well as milk. For some reason, he felt a bit more cheerful himself from doing something nice for his Papa. 

Now that he was done, he poured himself a cup as well before taking his superior's with him to his office. He was a bit nervous when he arrived, but put on a facade of being more confident as he entered the room quietly. As expected, Papa didnt even take notice of him, even as he walked up to his desk. It wasnt until he put the cup down on it that he got his attention and received a confused look in response. It made him smile warmly at him as he pulled back to straighten up again. 

"I made you some tea", he told him, still smiling softly. Papa was apparently pretty surprised by this gesture and he turned his gaze from him and to the cup and then back again.

"Oh...", he replied, staring at Copia now. The smile on his lips made his heart melt a bit and he turned his gaze away to look down at the tea again. It smelled really nice and tempted his tired brain. It took him a moment to distinguish the flavour, but when he did, he smiled at Copia, relaxing some.

"How did you know that this was my favorite?" he asked as he brought the cup to him to have a sip. He couldnt believe how sweet his cardinal was being. He didnt think he would even want to talk to him anymore, and that's why he had kept to himself today. He had wanted to give him some space, knowing full well that he had wronged him yesterday. 

"I didnt..", Copia replied awkwardly. "I just thought you might want something warm to drink...", he continued, dropping his gaze when Papa smiled at him again. He wanted to smile too, but he didnt allow himself to do so this time. Instead, he turned and walked back across the room and out of it to head back to his paper work. The first thing he did when he arrived to the kitchen though, was to drink his tea. He knew it would take a while for it to have any effect so he decided on downing it all right away. He was so tired at this point and he thought of the idea to do his work somewhere more comfortable. Like on that couch in the livingroom. He drank the last of his tea before putting the cup down and grabbing the papers to bring them with him to the livingroom. 

As soon as he sat down, he just started feeling more tired. The soft, cosy couch together with the dim lighting in there just made it even more difficult for him to stay awake. He ignored it all though and started sorting the papers again. It felt like there were hundreds of them and like it would never end. Every other minute, his eyelids just seemed to get heavier and heavier and he found himself blinking tiredly, struggling to open his eyes again after each one. Maybe he should just rest them for a minute or so before going back to work. He decided that it was worth a shot and leaned back against the back support, finally allowing his eyes to close fully. As he enjoyed his little break, he was starting to really relax. A little too much maybe. Without him noticing it, he was slowly beginning to drift off to sleep. 

The next time he woke up, he found that he was laying down on the couch and he immediately pushed himself up to sit. He instantly regretted closing his eyes as it seemed that he had taken a way longer break than he had planned on doing. Could wonder for how long he had been out of it... Damnit all. As he glanced around the room, he noticed some kind of fabric on his body and looked down to see that a blanket had been wrapped around him. His first reaction was to blush. Not because of the gesture, but because he realized that Papa had caught him sleeping on the job. It was a very...sweet gesture though... He pulled the blanket away then to stand and to sort the rest of the papers as quickly as he could. It took him longer than he would have liked, but when he was finally done, he hurried out of the room to find Papa. When he passed the kitchen, he heard noises from in there and so he peeked inside the room to see that the pope was again cutting something. He was so nervous about facing him, but he bravely put his feelings aside and stepped inside anyway, holding the papers tightly to his chest.

"Papa..", he started carefully, just to get his attention. "I have sorted the papers...", he continued just as cautiously, watching as Papa looked over his shoulder at him.

"Good", the man replied and smiled in amusement at the cardinal's messy hair before he turned back to his cooking. "Thank you", he added, leaving Copia a bit confused as to why he didnt seem disappointed in him. 

Papa really didnt care that his subordinate had fallen asleep on the couch, and who was he to complain when he had not treated him respectfully to begin with? Still smiling a little, he listened as the other's footsteps came closer.

Copia carefully walked up to the counter, glancing at Papa and then down at the vegetables he was preparing. He was still surprised that he wasnt mad at him for slacking off, or even adressing it. Had it been Nihil, he would have never heard the end of it. In silence, he studied Papa next to him. He was a very sweet man... A very...interesting one...somehow... As he lost himself in his thoughts and feelings, he suddenly found himself eye to eye with his pope, of course making him snap out of his bubble to turn his gaze down. 

"Where do you want the papers?" he asked out of nervousness, making a show of stacking them into piles on the counter. As he did, he flinched as his wound started to hurt again. The wrinkles of his leather gloves might have brushed against it when he bent his fingers. 

"How is your finger?" he heard Papa asking suddenly and he lifted his gaze to glance at him before looking down at his hand. He hesitated for a few moments before he silently started removing his glove. Again, he looked up at the pope, now hesitatingly offering his hand to him. 

Papa was surprised by this move as he again didnt think that Copia would want to interact with him more than necessary. He didnt hesitate to grab his hand though and he gently started to remove the bandaid. While he did this, Copia couldnt help but to stare at him. He took this opportunity to study him a bit and to note that he was a rather handsome man.. And very caring... Again, he was caught staring when Papa looked up at him and he immediately turned his gaze down, blushing a little.  
This delighted Papa and his lips slowly spread into a big grin before he turned his attention back to Copia's hand. He couldnt help but to wonder if the cardinal was finally taking an interest in him...

"It looks good", he said, closing the bandaid again. "It seems to be healing fine", he added as he stepped back. Copia was a grown man and could have easily tended to an insignificant wound like that himself, so Papa could only assume that he had asked him to look at it for other reasons. It made his heart flutter a little in his chest and he smiled as he returned to his cooking. 

"I'd like you to deliver the papers to Sister Camilla, Serena and Noemi", he told him then, without looking up from his work. "The colors are associated with their names", he added.

"Yes, Papa..", Copia replied quietly as he put his glove back on. He then gathered the papers and immediately headed towards the doorway. 

"Oh, and take a ghoul with you", Papa told him before he exited the room. For a while, they had both forgotten about the incident in the attic. As Copia reached the front door, he of course asked one of the ghouls to accompany him before he headed out.


	3. chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for this late update

The nearest office of the three was on the floor bellow them, but Copia needed to head down two corridors before he could get to the staircase. As soon as he rounded the corner of the first corridor, he froze in shock and fear at the sight further down the hallway. The ghoul behind him did too. A sister was laying dead on the ground outside one of the rooms as some sort of a creature was chewing and tugging at her shoulder. It was crouched on its four legs over her bloody body, too busy to notice them. For the moment, Copia felt unable to move and he had to really restrain himself from making any sounds as the beast bit into the woman's neck, pulling a big piece off of it, almost causing the head to fall off.   
The only thing that snapped him out of his frozen state was the hand that suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him back around the corner. Without really thinking, he started running back down the corridor and back to Papa's quarters. The creature was not like anything he had seen before. The details that he could recall seeing in his shocked state were black leathery skin and a thick, long tail. He couldnt really think at the moment and so he gave up on trying to figure out what kind of animal it could have been. As they reached the quarters again and the door was was unlocked, he hurried inside, clutching the papers to his chest. 

"Get in! That thing is out there!" the ghoul who had come with him warned the ones keeping guard outside. The door was then locked as soon as everyone was safely inside the quarters. "Papa!" the said ghoul hurried through the hall to find his boss. As earlier, he was still in the kitchen, having just finished cooking.

"What is the matter?" the pope asked, confounded by his subordinate's distressed state as the ghoul rushed into the room. 

"The monster from the attic", he panted. "It's here", he continued, leaning against the doorway as he tried to catch his breath. Papa's eyes widened slightly from this information and he hurried towards the doorway.

"Is Copia safe?" he asked in a hurry as he passed the ghoul with a racing heart. He now regretted sending his cardinal off for such a stupid task. 

"Yes, he is, Papa", the ghoul replied as he followed him back to the hall where Papa came to a halt as soon as he spotted Copia and the remaining ghouls. 

"Are you alright?" he asked them, but mostly his cardinal. As he waited for their responses, he hurried over to his stationary phone to make a call to his father. 

"We're fine", one of the ghouls by the door replied eventually, staying close to it to listen for possible sounds out there. 

"It killed a sister...", the ghoul who had accompanied Copia revealed, earning another wide eyed look from Papa. Unfortunately, his father picked right at that moment, forcing him to focus on the call instead of answering the ghoul. 

"The monster is back", was the first thing he blurted out into the phone and he looked towards the doorway now, apparently a bit worried. They would have to send out every ghoul that they had to find that thing, and to protect them all. 

A couple of meters away, Copia was still clutching the papers, obviously distressed. He realized that he had held his breath for a while now and decided to release it, trembling slightly as he moved to a small table nearby to put the papers down on it. He then proceeded with staring ahead of him as images of the beast flashed before his eyes, as well as images of the dead, bloody sister on the floor. He hardly even noticed that his superior had stopped talking on the phone to come over to him.

"Copia? Are you ok?" Papa asked, feeling concerned with his behavior, but most of all he felt angry with himself for having put his beloved cardinal in danger. "Copia?" he tried again.

The cardinal had snapped out of his deep thoughts at the second mentioning of his name and he turned his head slightly to look at Papa. His mouth opened, but then closed again. He was still stunned from what he had just seen. He wasnt even sure of what the other had just said to him... The silence in there felt so deafening and he felt as though everyone was staring at him. 

"I....", he started, swallowing. His voice had hardly been above a whisper. There was suddenly a knocking sound on the window across the room and as he was already jumpy and paranoid, he threw himself at Papa without thinking, just staring at the window in horror. The pope had of course also turned his head at the sudden sound. He could see that one of the thick branches on the tree outside had been pushed into the window by the wind and was now knocking on it over and over again. As Papa turned his head back to look at Copia, his heart was beating fast in his chest. Not only from the scare, but from nervousness of being so close to his cardinal. He carefully moved his hands up to place them on the man's waist, really wanting to pull him into a hug, but he refrained from doing so. As Copia was still staring at the window, seemingly frozen in fear, Papa took the liberty to study him for a bit, enjoying having him so close to him. 

"It was just a branch..", he spoke softly, gently smiling at his cute cardinal as the said man turned his head back to face him. He was clearly embarrassed by his actions as he suddenly pulled away, his cheeks turning to a deep shade of red. 

"I'm sorry, Papa", he said regretfully, bringing his hand up to rub his arm awkwardly. 

"Dont be", the pope replied, taking a deep breath before he spoke again. "My father said that everyone needs to stay inside with their doors locked until the ghouls have managed to track down...whatever that thing was..", he trailed off, glancing at his ghouls before his gaze returned to Copia. He was actually starting to feel concerned about the situation. What was that creature? and why was it here..? He shook his head to himself before he focused his gaze on Copia again.

"You're shaking", he pointed out, out of concern as he took a step closer to him. "Do you want to sit down?" he asked, hoping that he would give him some sort of an answer this time. 

"Sure...", Copia replied quietly, following Papa as he headed towards the livingroom. He was still so embarrassed about what he had just done. He wished he could undo it... but he couldnt. He watched as Papa sat down on the couch then, patting the seat next to him. He sat too, staring ahead of him again before looking towards the window in there. Papa did too and they remained like that in silence for a while. 

"I'll get you something to eat", Papa eventually decided and stood, making sure that Copia didnt seem opposed to him leaving before he headed to the doorway. He too was feeling a bit freaked out at the moment, but since he knew that they had many ghouls in this church, he told himself not to worry too much about it. 

Being left alone in the livingroom didnt exactly make Copia feel better and he looked towards the window again, worried that that thing might break inside.. He forced those thoughts away for a few minutes before it became a struggle to do so and to keep his emotions at bay. He decided that he couldnt stand sitting there by himself anymore and stood to head over to the kitchen where he assumed that Papa was. Once he arrived, he just stared at the man's back until he noticed his prescence and turned around. He didnt know why he felt so distressed when everyone else seemed so calm. Then again, Papa hadnt seen what he had seen and the ghoul was.... Well...he was a ghoul.

"What's wrong?" Papa asked him, cautiously approaching him now. He watched the cardinal with a caring gaze as he waited for his answer. He didnt like seeing him like this and he wished that he could do something to make him feel better. 

"I just... dont want to be alone", Copia admitted, lowering his gaze as he felt a bit ashamed of himself. He couldnt help but to feel unsafe and worried. It was making him feel uneasy and paranoid, like he just wanted to run and hide away somewhere. 

"I understand", Papa replied, watching him in silence for a few moments before speaking again. "You may stay here with me then", he said, watching Copia as he expected some sort of a response from him. As none came, he started feeling a bit concerned. He knew that he had witnessed something horrific, but he needed to calm down. Being in this state did nothing good for him.

"Come", he beckoned at him to come closer, opening his arms up for him. He wanted to pull him into a hug to comfort him, but like before, he was afraid of crossing a line and pushing him away again, so he would let Copia make the move. Unless he didnt want to, of course... To his surprise though, Copia actually came over to him to let him embrace him. Once he finally got to hold him tightly to him, Papa's heart skipped a beat and he felt a sensation of euphoria wash over him for a moment. "Try to relax", he told him softly while stroking his back. He could feel him trembling still and was frenetically trying to think of ways to calm him down. 

To be pulled into an embrace like this did make Copia feel better. He couldnt remember the last time he had gotten any affection like this from anyone. It felt awkward, but not enough for him to want to pull away. He found that he really enjoyed being close to his pope... He had been so sweet to him, and he made him feel sort of content about everything. When he was finally starting to feel relaxed, he felt Papa's hand reaching up to carefully stroke the hair on the back of his neck. He couldnt stop himself from blushing and he was glad that the other couldnt see his face right now. The soothing touches almost made him shiver and he allowed his eyes to close and to just enjoy the moment. He was almost getting a bit too relaxed now, as well as sleepy. Still, he felt disappointed when Papa eventually pulled back.

"Feeling better?" the pope asked him, smiling a little. He himself did feel calmer. Finally getting to hold his beautiful cardinal was heaven to him. "You're safe in here with me, ok?" he added. "Just sit down and I'll get you some lunch", he told him caringly.

Copia nodded quietly, biting down on his bottom lip as his gaze traveled away to the pot on the stove. "Thank you..", he said before stepping back a little to make his way over to the table. As he pulled out a chair to sit, he watched as Papa started tending to the stew again. He wondered what it would be like to... be his boyfriend... The thought made him blush again and he stopped watching him to stare down at his hands instead. He didnt know what the rest of the church would think of that... but perhaps Papa was just looking for a fun night... Whichever it was, it was making him feel nervous. Right as the said man came over with a bowl of stew for him, he yawned big, failing at surpressing it. He didnt know for how long he had been sleeping on the couch, but it couldnt have been for more than minutes.

"Still tired?" Papa asked him as he put the bowl down in front of him.

"A bit..", Copia replied, thanking him for the food before grabbing his spoon. He was nervous about having another meal together again, but he figured that he should probably get used to it.

"If you want to, you can take a break. I know I need one", Papa said before he headed back to the stove to get himself some stew. "I was thinking about watching a movie", he continued as he came back to sit opposite of Copia. He just hoped that his cardinal would want to join him. It could be a good way for him to relax and keep his focus on something else. It would also be a good way for Papa to get to spend some time with him... Copia just nodded in return, scooping some food up on his spoon. 

"I appreciate that..", he replied quietly, wondering what kind of movies Papa liked. He was nervous about spending even more time with him, but he didnt want to be alone either. Not in this situation. His gaze became slightly unfocused as he ate and as he was thinking back to the incident in the hallway... He was starting to feel paranoid again, but before he could scare himself too much, Papa's voice broke through to him.

"Did you like it?" he asked, confusing Copia for a moment before he realized that he was talking about the food.

"Yes. It's good..", he replied, forcing a small smile. It really was good, but he wasnt in a very good mood and he didnt have much of an appetite either. He was also very tired at this point, but he was afraid of falling asleep due to the circumstances. He was unfortunately starting to get a headache from his lack of sleep. 

"Good", Papa replied, almost throwing his food into his mouth. He had been hungry for a while and the situation had not helped. He wouldnt freak out about it though. He was certain that the ghouls would have everything under control soon enough. They were also being guarded by some of the strongest ones in the clergy. The cardinal still seemed pretty distressed though and he really wanted to change that. As soon as he was done eating, he stood to take his bowl with him to the sink. He also grabbed a glass to drink some water.

"I'm going to pick a movie", he told Copia as he turned around to face him. "You may joing me in the bedroom when you are ready", he added, totally missing the surprised expression on the cardinal's face as he moved out of the room.

Copia was pretty thankful for that as his cheeks were now a deep shade of red. Why were they watching a movie in Papa's bedroom...? His heart started beating fast in his chest then as he became anxious about the other's intentions. As he thought it through though, he realized that he did kind of like the thought of being close to him, but as long as they were taking things slow... He struggled with deciding on whether he should drag his lunch out or not. He was nervous about going to Papa's bedroom, but he also didnt want to make him wait. With a heavy sigh, he decided on finishing his meal at a normal pace, and a few minutes later, he got up to put his bowl in the dishwasher. As he did, his heart was starting to race again and he didnt exactly hurry to Papa's bedroom. When he eventually arrived, the said man had put pillows up against the wall by the head of the bed and was now resting his back against them. 

"Come on in", he said to his cardinal, feeling his heart skip a beat as he watched him enter the room slowly. He was a bit disappointed to see him taking a seat at the end of the bed instead of next to him, but he wouldnt push him to move. 

"I thought we would watch something calming", he said again as he turned his attention back to the tv. To be honest, he was a bit worried still, but he didnt want Copia to know that. The movie wasnt helping much, but a slight distraction was better than nothing. At least things had been chill this far... As time passed, Copia found it harder and harder to stay awake. He didnt want to be rude and leave, but he didnt think he could even sit up for much longer. He had been contemplating how to approach Papa about it for a while now and had finally gathered the courage to do so. 

"Papa..", he started hesitatingly as he glanced at him over his shoulder. "Would it be alright if I took a nap..?" he asked, trying to keep his eyes open. 

"Of course", Papa replied, patting the bedding next to him. This obviously made Copia nervous and he couldnt help but to blush as he stared back at him in silence. Eventually though, he diverted his gaze elsewhere, thinking the offer through shortly. As he was exhausted and a bed was more comfortable than a couch, he decided that he would do as Papa wished him to. He didnt want to look him in the eye though as climbed over the bed and up to the head of it, turning his back to him as he laid down. It was the most wonderful feeling ever. The soft, warm covers made him feel as though he could fall asleep at any second. He didnt know if he did or not, but the next thing he knew, he awoke to the sound of a distant scream. It had been one of pure terror. This of course made him push himself up to sit, his heart racing from fear as he looked around the room. There was no one in there and... Papa was gone.. Fearing for his life now, he threw himself off the bed to rush out of the room. He looked everwhere for his pope until he eventually found him in the hall together with a couple of ghouls. 

"Papa... what is going on?" he asked, panting slightly. Another scream could be heard from somewhere in the building and he froze from fear, watching as the man's expression changed to a slightly alarmed one. 

"It's back", Papa replied and his gaze lowered as they listened for more tumult outside. His heart was racing as well, but he knew it wouldnt help to freak out. "The ghouls are hunting it down as we speak..", he added, watching as his cardinal was obviously becoming stressed out about it.

"Can we get out of here?" Copia asked, starting to feel slightly panicky. All he could see before his inner eye was the beast nearly tearing that sister's head off and he didnt want to be the next one in line. 

"No. We are safer here", Papa told him, taking a couple of steps closer to him. He could tell that Copia wasnt exactly pleased to hear that, but he believed that barricading themselves in there would be their best option.

"I dont know..", Copia replied, shaking his head. He felt so distressed right now. He wanted to just jump out the window and run... 

"Are you ok?" he heard him asking suddenly, making him snap out of his thoughts about escaping. He couldnt see why Papa seemed so calm and unbothered by this whole thing and he felt a sudden urge to snap at him. He wouldnt though. He couldnt do that to his superior.

"Sure...", he replied with a deep sigh, feeling so restless all of a sudden. He decided to retreat back to the bedroom, at loss of what to do with all the anxiety and fear that he was feeling. It wasnt until he stepped over the threshold and ran his hands through his hair to grab it in frustration that he noticed that Papa had followed him all the way there.

"You know...", the man started before he walked up next to Copia. "I'm scared too... and I dont even know if my brothers are ok", he said as he rounded him to stand in front of him. Their eyes met in silence for a few moments before Copia dropped his hands down with a sigh.

"I understand..", he replied, lowering his gaze. He was still tired and wished that he could sleep more, but he could never let his guard down while that thing was running berserk out there. 

"Would you like a hug?" Papa asked him suddenly, smiling softly at him. He didnt want his cardinal to think that he was just asking so that he could get to touch him. He genuinely wanted to comfort him. "I know I could need one", he admitted, his smile turning into a slightly sad one. 

Copia looked up at him again, studying him for a few thoughtful moments. He did want a hug.... Maybe more than that... He struggled not to blush again as he simply just nodded to him. As Papa's arms reached out to wrap around his waist and to pull him tightly to him, he forgot about any negative emotions he had had a moment ago and he wrapped his arms around his shoulders in return. He was again glad that the other couldnt see his face as it was now as red as ever. Being in such an intimate embrace with his handsome pope made him feel strangely... calm and happy. He allowed his eyes to close then and to stay in his arms rather than to listen to his anxieties and pull away.

Papa was also feeling better. Mostly because Copia was willing to hold him again, meaning that he was probably getting around to liking him back. This thought made him feel happier than he had been in a long time and he couldnt help but to smile to himself as he carefully pulled back a little. As he did, he noticed that Copia was still keeping his arms around his shoulders loosely, but his head was bowed as if he was too shy to face him. It was rather cute to him. 

"Is everything ok?" he asked him softly as he studied his face. His heart was starting to race again as he awaited an answer. It was tempting to lean in and kiss him. Something that he had longed for for the last two days. He wouldnt do it though. 

"Yes..", Copia replied then, pulling back fully to run a hand through his hair. "Just...tired..", he added, sighing. 

"You could always take another nap", Papa suggested as he moved over to the bed to start playing the movie again. He then climbed up on it, getting seated in the same spot as before. 

"I suppose", Copia replied. Like last time, he didnt feel like letting his guard down. He figured that it was important for him to be well rested though. In case the situation in the church would get out of hand and they needed to leave...He watched Papa in silence for a while as a number of emotions ran throughout him and it wasnt until their eyes met that he looked away. Papa just flashed him a smile in return and watched as the cardinal came over to lay down. Again, he was facing away from him. He was laying awake for a bit, listening to the sounds of the tv and just trying to distract himself from his worries. This time around, he would have actually appreciated Papa's touches...

Once his cardinal had seemed to have fallen asleep, Papa decided to carefully leave the room to get himself something to drink and to send a message to his brothers. He expected them to be safe, but he wasnt sure, of course. He was glad that Copia was staying with him, and in his bed at that, despite it being due to this horrible situation they were in... As he arrived to the kitchen, he decided on making some tea. He didnt like to leave Copia by himself even though he was just seconds away. Especially since he felt an immense need to protect him. More so than anyone else. He would have made some tea for him as well if he hadnt been sleeping. It would just go cold. Once he was done in the kitchen, he returned to the bedroom quietly as to not wake his cardinal. He was pretty sure that he would accidentally do so though when he was climbing into bed, but to his surprise, he didnt even stir. 

The next time Copia woke up, it was unfortunately not in a pleasant way. He flinched as he opened his eyes and propped himself up on his elbow to look around the room. This did of course startle Papa next to him, who shifted to get closer to him and to lean down to his level. 

"What's wrong?" the pope asked, carefully putting a hand on the cardinal's arm. Copia didnt answer him right away as he was currently busy with realizing that he had been dreaming. A sigh of relief escaped him and he laid back down again. As he rolled onto his back, he noticed that Papa was way closer than he had thought. It distracted him for a moment, but he eventually spoke.

"Nightmare..", he sighed, keeping his eyes locked with Papa's. For a moment, he felt as though there was something slightly sensual with the way they watched each other in silence.... The way Papa hovered over him, propped up on his elbow.

"I'm sorry", Papa replied softly, still gazing down at his beautiful cardinal. It was rather hard to determine whether Copia was signaling something to him or not. He had never looked at him like that before. He hadnt even kept eye contact with him for this long before. Thoughts of kissing him returned to Papa's mind, but he knew he couldnt be that bold. Instead, he carefully reached his hand up to cup Copia's cheek, feeling his heart skip a beat. He was so happy that he would let him do it.

At this point, Copia did lower his gaze, but he didnt make any attempts to push Papa away. He just smiled a little, blushing furiously. His heart was racing so fast in his chest now and he felt butterflies fluttering around in his belly as Papa's thumb suddenly rubbed over his cheek. He had wished for him to touch him again, but he hadnt imagined it would feel this good and he actually dared to meet his gaze again. 

As Copia wasnt giving him any signs to stop, Papa figured that he was probably fine with him going further... He would be careful though, in case he was wrong. Feeling a bit nervous himself now, he started to slowly lean down, stilling halway down to give his cardinal a chance to interrupt him if he wished to. His heart was racing so fast in his chest now as he looked for signs to stop. 

Copia felt as though his heart would jump out of his chest when Papa suddenly closed in on him. He swallowed, closing his eyes and nervously waited to be kissed. A few seconds passed before he felt soft, wet lips against his own and a strange, slightly overwhelming sensation washed over him. He could feel his heart melting as Papa moved his lips against his and he kissed him back softly, feeling amazing. 

Papa was in heaven right now. He had been longing to feel Copia's lips against his own for a while now. He was just beyond happy that it was finally happening. They kept kissing for a couple of minutes before Papa eventually pulled back with a growing grin on his face. Copia had never seen him blush before, but he sure was doing it now. 

"How was that?" Papa asked him softly as he laid down next to him, turning his gaze to the ceiling. His heart was still beating fast in his chest. 

"..Good..", Copia replied quietly, feeling a bit embarrassed and at loss of what to say or do next. It had been a wonderful experience, but he didnt know where to go from there. Papa didnt say or do anything either and it was starting to feel a bit awkward to him. He couldnt look at him, but he still wanted more affection. Perhaps if he dared to just...embrace him.... He was nervous about moving at all. They were laying there for a while before Copia decided to gather the courage to even turn to face Papa. He couldnt look him in the eye though, so he just buried his face in his neck as he embraced him. His heart was again beating fast in his chest and he hoped that the other wouldnt mind him holding him. 

Papa was surprised by his cardinal's sudden affection, but he was happy about it nonetheless. He could feel his heart melting and a rush of euphoria running through him as he hugged him back. He was so happy that Copia had finally come around to liking him back.


	4. chapter 4

The two stayed in each other's arms silently for a few minutes and Copia found it weird how natural it felt despite everything happening so fast. His heartbeat had calmed down but it was still thumping faster than normal. For a moment he had forgotten about the creature that was terroizing their church and was just focusing on the moment. He was a bit worried about how he was going to pull away from Papa without letting him see his face as he was still blushing. He didnt have to think about it for much longer though as his pope stirred a minute later, grabbing his shoulder to gently push him down on his back again. Copia noticed a hint of lust in his eyes for a short moment before he had yet again captured his lips in his. This time he was being kissed more hungrily and he relaxed a little, trembling slightly as his senses quickly became overwhelmed. 

He curiously let the tip of his tongue slip out between his lips to feel Papa's and to meet his tongue. The sensation made his heart race and he found himself going slightly limp from the stimulating affection. It was a pretty arousing experience. Especially since he hadnt been with anyone in a while. Doing this with another man felt a bit strange to him, but somehow it also felt right. He couldnt help but to moan when Papa's soft hand came up to stroke his cheek and the next thing he knew, the man had pushed his tongue into his mouth forcefully. His chest heaved once and a blush spread over his cheeks. It made him moan and he could feel a slight tingling sensation down between his legs. 

Papa was quickly losing himself in the moment, letting his feelings and needs take complete control of him. He knew he had work to do, but he didnt care. This was all that he wanted right now. The moan he had earned from his cardinal did rile him up a bit and he wished he could just tear his clothes off and make love to him right there and then. He knew that couldnt happen right now though. Nor did he know if that was what Copia wanted. Kissing him was more than fine for the time being. He savoured every little piece of the cardinal's lips, brushing his own against them and exploring the depts of his mouth. 

What Papa was doing to Copia was quite overwhelming and he could feel blood rushing down to his crotch now. Again, he couldnt help but to moan when his pope's tongue wrestled with his for dominance. It all ended very suddenly though and he stared up at him in confusion as he pulled away. 

"..Lets not get too frisky", the man decided with a small smirk as he shifted to sit. This made Copia blush and he instantly felt guilty for having made those noises in the first place. Instead of replying though, he brought his arm up to wipe his mouth off on his sleeve. His heart was still pounding hard in his chest, matching the pulse going on down between his legs. He hoped that he wouldnt get a boner..

"So.... ", Papa started again, earning Copia's attention again as their eyes locked and the cardinal sat up slowly. "If you dont mind me asking, I would like to know your name", he said playfully, watching his beautiful subordinate thinking it through. It was obvious that he was being hesitant about it as he turned his gaze down, but that didnt matter to Papa. It just made him all the more adorable to him.

"It's... Altaro...", the cardinal replied quietly, making the pope smile widely. 

"A beautiful name for a beautiful man", he said lovingly as he gazed at him, noticing that a light red shade was again spreading over his subordinate's cheeks. "You may call me Ignazio from now on", he told him then, smiling again as his love interest finally looked up to meet his gaze.

It felt a bit weird to Copia. He had always called the Papas Papa.... He wondered if that meant that he was being serious about him and not just looking to get laid... As he was slowly catching feelings for his pope, his heart ached slightly at the thought of him just using him for sex.

"I understand...", he replied eventually, gazing back into his eyes, almost losing himself in the intensity of them. As the silence was starting to feel awkward to him now, he decided to ask a question.

"Is there any more work you would like me to do?" he wondered, turning his attention to the movie for a moment. He did feel a bit more rested now. Papa just shook his head.

"Not really", he replied with a sigh. "I suppose you could go back home if you'd like... Or stay here with me", he suggested, hoping that his cardinal would want to spend more time with him. He would try to understand if he didnt though. It was just a hard pill to swallow... A moment later, they were interrupted by a ringing sound again and Papa quickly moved off the bed to grab the phone on the small table in the corner of the room. 

"Yes?" he spoke into the mouth piece, waiting and listening. A smile then grew on his face and he glanced at Copia for a moment. "Yes, I understand.... ", he continued. "I will be right there", he added then and hung up, slowly moving back to the bed. 

"They have caught the creature...", he informed Copia whose eyes widened slightly. The emotions that washed over the cardinal now was a mixture of fear, relief and concern and he turned his gaze down for a moment to melt these news. 

"Really...?" he said, wondering what was going to happen next.

"Really", Papa replied and he felt him sitting down next to him again. A hand came in contact with his cheek then, making him tense up again just like the night before. This time it was welcomed though and he allowed his eyes to close and to enjoy the affection that was given to him. He couldnt help but to shudder and his heart was again speeding up its beats. The moment didnt last for long though as Papa spoke again, snapping him out of it.

"I'm going to go and look at it", he announced, making Copia's eyes open again to stare at him. His heart was beating even faster now as he feared that his pope might get hurt.

"Why..?" he asked, just wanting to forget about that monster. This just caused Papa to chuckle lightly and he removed his hand from Copia's cheek to stroke the hair on the back of his neck.

"Because I need to", he replied, admiring his sweet cardinal with eyes full of lust and love. "It wont take long. It's locked in and guarded by ghouls", he promised him. He was glad that the animal or whatever it was, was behind bars now so that Copia could feel safe and protected again.

"I'll come with you", Copia decided suddenly, surprising Papa.

"Are you sure? You got pretty scared last time you saw it", he warned him, his eyes displaying concern now. He didnt want his beloved cardinal to feel like that ever again.

"I'm sure", Copia replied, moving off the bed now to show him that he was being serious. He was scared but he also felt as though he needed to confront his fears. He wanted to get a better look at the creature that had hurt and killed one of their clergy members. 

Now it was Papa's turn to be hesitant and he pondered in it for a few moments. He did eventually decide that Copia could make choices for himself though, but he would make sure to be there for him in case he needed to be comforted again. 

"Let us go then", he replied, getting off the bed too to head to the door and out into the rest of the premises. Copia followed him quietly. He wasnt sure if Papa wanted to hide their love from everyone or not. He still wasnt sure if he was just being warmed up for sex or not... He felt an immense need to ask him, but he couldnt at the moment as they came out into the hall where a ghoul was situated in the chair by the door. One thing was for sure, he wasnt willing to be used by Papa for sex... 

"The creature has been caught", the pope informed his ghoul as he passed him to open the door. He repeated this to the ghouls outside as well, assuring them that he and his cardinal could go out alone. The walk down towards the dungeon was a pretty quiet and stiff one. Copia was being anxious and different kinds of thoughts were fighting for dominance in his brain. Papa didnt exactly seem relaxed either. He looked determined and very serious. Once they were getting closer to the basement floor, Copia noticed that Papa was taking the lead, probably wanting to protect him in case something would get out of hand down there. The dungeon was dimly lit and a couple of ghouls greeted them as they stepped in through the heavy door. Again, there was silence as they moved down the hallways, only stopping when they neared the cell where the monster was kept. There were a couple of more ghouls down there as well.

"So this is ...the thing that has been terrorizing us?" Papa asked coldly to no one in particular as he stared the creature down, his head held high. A part of him wanted to kill it, but the rest of him knew that it was just an animal. It probably did what any other predator out there would do. The pitch black, leathery skin and sharp fangs together with its thick, scaly tail made him think that it looked like something straight out of hell. 

"Yes, Papa", one of the ghouls answered him, he too watching the creature. Its hungry eyes were set on the pope as it bared its fangs, snarling at the newcomers. 

"Hmm... I will have to speak to my brothers about this", he decided and jumped slightly when the creature roared at them, lunging forward a little. Copia had jumped too, moving in behind Papa now. His heart was about to jump out of his chest and he turned his gaze away, unable to look the murderous creature in the eyes. Fear from the incident earlier came back to him and he started feeling very uncomfortable with being in there.

"It's alright, Altaro", Papa consoled him. "It cant hurt you", he promised him, but wasnt really able to calm him down. Copia simply couldnt believe him. Right now he felt as though he needed to get out of there. He only hesitated for a moment before he turned and steered his steps back down the corridor. This of course alerted Papa who hurried after him, catching up with him rather quickly. 

"Are you alright?" he was asked by the clearly concerned pope. He didnt answer right away but sighed, running a hand through his hair as they walked.

"Yes... I just....dont want to see it", he replied quietly, feeling stupid for coming to the dungeon in the first place. Papa must think him a coward and a mess.... 

"I know", the pope replied softly. He understood that his cardinal was shook, but everything would be good from now on. It wasnt until they finally reached the first floor that he spoke to him again, adjusting his shirt a little. 

"I will have to go and discuss this with my brothers", he announced, causing Copia to stop and turn to him. The look in his eyes made his heart sink a little. He clearly didnt seem comfortable with the thought of splitting up. "I'll escort you back to my quarters.. Or to your quarters, of course... If that's what you want", he hurried to add, watching as his cardinal seemed to struggle with what to do. 

"Uhm... I suppose you could", Copia replied eventually, throwing a glance at the door to the dungeon before he slowly started walking again. To be honest, he was still afraid and he couldnt understand why. He knew that the creature was locked in... Or did he? He guessed it couldnt break out, but he wasnt too sure of that. Just knowing that it was in their church made him uncomfortable. They eventually decided on heading back to Papa's quarters and their walk there was spent in silence yet again as they were both in deep thoughts. The closer they got, the more anxious Copia felt about being left alone. He knew that there were still ghouls guarding the premises but for some reason, he didnt want to be separated from Papa. 

"I wont be long", the pope said suddenly, breaking through Copia's bubble of thoughts. They were nearing the door now and he realized that he would have to say something no matter how embarrassing it was. 

"Papa...", he started quietly as they stopped outside the door. "Would....it be alright if I....came with you..?" he asked, his last words coming out in a whisper. He felt childish and weird for being like this, but he couldnt help but to feel distressed. What happened next surprised him as Papa's mouth widened into a grin and he let out a chuckle.

"Sweetheart... Of course..", the pope brought his hand up to gently cup Copia's cheek, making him blush lightly. He actually seemed thrilled about the suggestion. "Let us go then. I just wish you would have told me earlier", Papa continued with a soft smile as he placed his hand on Copia's lower back to encourage him to move again. He was flattered that the cardinal wanted to spend time with him, because it was all he wanted himself at the moment. He was really starting to fall hard for him. 

"I'm sorry..", Copia replied, walking next to Papa back down the hallway. He was relieved though that he had agreed on letting him come to the meeting.

"No need to be sorry, my dear Altaro", Papa replied, letting his hand slip from him again. He was feeling quite overwhelmed with happiness and he realized that he hadnt felt this content in a long time. Copia was just a wonderful addition to his life and he hoped that he felt the same about him. He couldnt wait to get this meeting over with so that he could get his hands on his beautiful cardinal again. As all of the Papas' quarters were located on the same floor, it didnt take them long to reach his oldest brother's door, which he knocked on. They could hear a voice from inside encouraging them to enter. When they did, his brother was, as expected a bit surprised to see that he had brought one of his cardinals, but he didnt question it.

"Greetings... What can I help you with?" the old man asked as he stood from his desk to approach them.

"Hey... We need to talk about the intruder", Papa replied, moving over to the table in there to pull out a chair. "I will go and get Lorenzo", he added as he gestured for Copia to sit. "You may stay here in the meantime", he told him without even asking his brother if he had the time to discuss it. Copia just nodded quietly, sitting down as Papa was so insisting on it. Neither of the two had much of a chance to say anything in return though as the younger brother was already heading for the door again. The next time he appeared, he had his second oldest brother with him. 

"Why is he here?" the said man asked as they entered the room, referring to Copia, of course. It made the cardinal slightly uncomfortable, but he didnt let it show. 

"I thought he should learn a thing or two about our work", Papa replied, not really caring what his brothers thought. He just moved over to the table to sit. This was only half true though, but his brothers didnt need to know that.

"Fine", Papa 2 replied, coming over to sit as well. "I'd say we either kill the thing or hand it over to the police", he suggested as he leaned back, crossing his arms. 

"Well.. It's an animal... It cant help it, but it shouldnt be running around out in the wild like that. I dont know where it came from, but it should be kept locked up for now", Papa replied, tapping the table a bit with his fingers as he stared off into space. 

"Or we just kill it", his second oldest brother insisted, now locking eyes with him. 

"I agree with Ignazio. Lets hand it over to the authorities and let them decide what to do. We dont even know what the thing is", their older brother butted in, obviously disappointing their middle sibling. "What do you think?" he asked then, looking at Copia now. The cardinal was a bit surprised that either of them would ask for his opinion, but flattered nonetheless.

"It doesnt matter what he thinks. He's not a Papa. He's a cardinal", Papa ll scolded his older brother, causing Copia to bow his head a little, feeling like he wanted to sink through the floor and disappear. This angered Papa and he stood from his chair, glaring at his sibling.

"You will not speak to him like that", he warned him, surprising both of his brothers now. "He may not be a Papa, but he is my highest ranked cardinal...", he trailed off, still boring his gaze into Papa ll. "I dont think we need to spend any more time arguing about this. We'll have a sister call the police over", he decided, knowing that they would have to hide their ghouls, but it didnt matter. As long as they were rid of the creature. 

"Fine", his second oldest brother agreed, standing too. "Damiano, will you please take care of it? I have loads of work to do today", he explained. Since their older brother was sort of retired now, it would be fine for him to take on a bit of work every once in a while still. 

"Of course. Leave it to me", the old man replied. 

"Thank you", Papa said, now turning his attention to his uncomfortable cardinal. "Come. We've got some work to do too", he told him, heading for the door as he expected him to follow him. He was still mad at his brother for disregarding Copia. Perhaps he was overreacting though. If he hadnt had a crush on the cardinal, he might not have cared much about him either.... He would still treat him with respect though. He felt a little bit better once they were out in the hallway again. He didnt want to interact any more with his brother today. 

"I'm sorry about that", he apologized to Copia as they walked. He felt as though he wanted to scold his brother further, but at the same time he was too impatient about getting back to his quarters to care. He might talk to him tomorrow.

"It's alright... ", Copia replied. He didnt take it personally and he did agree that he shouldnt have any opinions about the Papas' work. Maybe that was just because of his insecurities though... 

"It's not...but it is what it is.. I dont think he will do it again, and if he does, I will have to talk to him about it", Papa muttered, struggling to let it go. Once they got back to his quarters, he sent the ghouls back to their regular jobs as they werent in need of them anymore. Besides, he wanted some private time with his beautiful cardinal. 

"Soo... ", he started but didnt finish his sentence. Instead, he moved into the premises and to the kitchen to drink some water. He offered Copia some as well and his eyes roamed over his body as he watched him drink. The corner of his lips curved slightly upwards and he decided to sit down by the table. "Come to Papa", he hummed once Copia had finished drinking his water and he beckoned to him with his finger while a smirk spread his lips wide. 

Copia felt a bit nervous, but also excited and he put his glass down on the counter before coming over to the table. He was surprised to be grabbed and pulled into Papa's lap, but he didnt mind it. He could see the obvious lust in his eyes and his heart started to race a bit. He had never been intimate with a man before, which made him nervous, but he was pretty sure that Papa would be careful with him considering how caring he had been this far. As the pope's hands roamed over his body, he couldnt look him in the eye and turned his gaze down as he usually did when he was uncomfortable. It wasnt that he didnt want it. He did, more than anything right now. 

"Would you like to make love to me, my beautiful cardinal?" Papa hummed sensually, his voice deep and thick with lust. It made Copia shudder and he couldnt help but to turn his head away in embarrassment, hiding his face as he wrapped his arms around his shoulders. "Dont be shy", he heard Papa chuckle and one of his hands was now traveling up his thigh, making him tense up. "I will make you feel amazing", he promised as he moved the hand up Copia's hip and in under his shirt. It caused a soft moan to escape the cardinal and his cock started to throb lightly in his pants. 

The warm, smoothe skin under his hand made Papa slightly impatient, but he couldnt rush things or he would risk scaring his poor cardinal off again. Instead, he slowly felt around, squeezing every now and then, trying to contain himself. That was easier said than done though as he had had his eye on Copia for some time now. 

"You have such a beautiful body, my sexy cardinal", he continued, pulling his hand out from under his shirt now to cup Copia's crotch. "Tell me if you want me to stop, alright?" he asked in a softer, more serious tone of voice now. As he didnt get any response, he carefully squeezed the slightly hardening bulge, massasing it a little. This caused Copia's breathing to become slightly heavier and his eyes closed as he enjoyed the touches. He noticed that Papa stopped after a while to unbutton his pants and it of course made his heart race again. It had been some time since someone had touched him like this and for every second that passed, he was getting more and more desperate for Papa to pleasure him. He tried not to make any noises as the hand pulled at his underwear, but as soon as it embraced his hard, aching penis, he couldnt help but to moan. 

"That's it", Papa hummed sensually as he started stroking it. "Let me hear more of those sweet sounds", he continued, obviously thrilled. He thumbed over the leaking head of the penis now, focusing on just rubbing it for a while. "Such a beatiful cock", he added, wanting to arouse his cardinal and make him relax some. He kept stroking him while giving his neck soft, sensual kisses. He would have thought he could make him moan some more, but apparently he was wrong. He would get what he wanted eventually though. He probably just needed to stimulate him more aggressively. He decided on pulling his hand back then to encourage Copia to move off of him. As soon as it was done, he started unbuttoning his own pants, shamelessly taking his hard cock out to stroke it. Of course this embarrassed Copia and Papa knew it. He liked it. Unfortunately his cardinal didnt want to keep eye contact with him. That was ok though. As long as he could look at his body and have his way with him. 

Copia was awkwardly holding his own cock, not wanting to pleasure himself in front of Papa. He couldnt look at him either. He just stood there until the pope decided on getting up from the chair to grab his arm and pull him to him. He let out a soft sigh as he was kissed and he couldnt help but to grow even harder when Papa's hands grabbed his hips roughly, the fingers digging into his skin. When the kiss was broken, it left him slightly breathless and he dared to finally look into the other man's hungry eyes.

"I didnt know it would be so hard to get those sounds out of you", Papa purred, his voice husky as he started kissing up his cardinal's neck, letting his tongue run across it occasionally. He could feel him squirming in his arms, but no noises escaped him, to his disappointment. He let his warm breath out against the wet skin then before licking it gently. This obviously drove Copia insane, but he kept his mouth shut, feeling slightly embarrassed about moaning. Eventually Papa seemed to have gotten bored with this particular thing and pulled back with a big grin on his face.

"Stay here", he told him as he hurried out of the kitchen, leaving Copia aroused and trembling. More precum had trickled out of his stimulated tip and he felt slightly dizzy from the overwhelming affection. He did stay, but he decided to sit down, feeling slightly tired. He swallowed, trying to calm his body down, thinking that he was getting a bit too aroused at this point. It didnt take Papa long to get back and when he did, he had brought a small tube with him. Copia suspected what was in there, but he wasnt sure and he didnt want to ask him either. 

"Now then..", the pope started, sounding as horny as he looked. He gently grabbed the cardinal's arm to pull him up to stand before sitting down on the chair himself. He then reached over to pull two more chairs up against the first one. "Sit", he ordered him simply then, petting his lap to show him where he wanted him. Copia quietly did as he was told. Once he was in Papa's arms though, the man lowered him down onto his back on the row of chairs so that he was laying across them with his bum still in his lap. It surprised Copia, but it mostly made him feel embarrassed and exposed. As Papa worked on tugging his pants down, he closed his eyes, unable to face him right now. A blush also spready across his cheeks as the pope exposed his most private parts. 

"What a good boy", he heard Papa say as the hands moved to touch his hips and his thighs, stroking them eagerly. He then felt them moving to pull his legs up, securing them in the grip of Papa's arm. His heart was pounding so fast from anticipation and shame at the moment. He wouldnt deny that he was very aroused though. What happened next snapped him out of it as Papa's free hand had suddenly smacked his bum, causing him to yelp in surprise. His eyes were now opened again and his gaze met the pope's as he grinned down at him. 

"You like being spanked?" he asked, slapping his bum again, but softer this time. Copia bit down on his bottom lip, managing to muffle the yelp this time. He didnt say anything in response, but turned his gaze to the table again where Papa's hand was now reaching for the tube. He struggled a little with opening the lid as his other hand and arm was busy holding the cardinal's legs up. As Copia watched, he was starting to feel rather horny. His cock was throbbing wildly against his lower belly and he found that the sensitive nerves in his bum was pulsating slightly as well. 

"Let me know if you want me to stop", Papa reminded him again as he managed to get the lid off. A satisfied smile spread his lips as he coated his fingers in the lube, getting pretty riled up himself. He had been fantasizing about doing this to Copia and now he could hardly contain himself. He had hoped that his cardinal would have been more vocal about his touches though. That little moan he had gotten out of him earlier had really made him hungry for more. He looked down at him again, noting that he had closed his eyes again. 

"I think you're going to like this", he purred as he moved his hand closer to Copia's crotch. He knew how good it could feel and he really hoped that his beloved cardinal would enjoy it as well. It would be unfortunate if he didnt as Papa had dreamt about fucking him. 

"Papa...", the cardinal's voice came through to him suddenly and he stilled his hand, making eye contact with him now. Copia lifted his head slightly to be able to see him better. He was concerned, but not because of what his pope was about to do to him. "I've been meaning to ask you...", he started, diverting his gaze elsewhere for a moment. "Is this just.... a one time thing...?" he asked, feeling worried that he was just being used. He knew that Papa liked to sleep around and as he was having feelings for him at this point, he didnt want to get hurt. 

Papa was a bit surprised by this question, but he thought it over quickly and smiled at him.

"Not if you dont want it to", he replied, seeing that his cardinal was still concerned. 

"No.. I mean....", Copia bit down on his bottom lip for a moment before continuing. "I...want to be with you... Papa...", he trailed off quietly, biting his lip again as he was terrified that the pope would turn him down. Again, the man looked surprised, but then chuckled at him.

"You do?" he asked, smiling at him. There was actually nothing he would rather hear from his beautiful cardinal. "Then you will have me", he continued, leaning in to give his leg a kiss. This did surprise Copia a bit, but it was also a big relief and he felt his heart skip a beat as his handsome pope smiled at him. He let his head drop back to the chair again when Papa's hand suddenly embraced his cock, stroking it and coating it in lube. The feeling was amazing and he inhaled a deep breath, letting it out slowly. As the hand traveled downwards and cupped his balls, he started to tremble slightly from the great pleasure. It was even more overwhelming once it moved down to rub at his hole and he couldnt help but to blush. As one finger slipped inside him, he gasped and a whimper escaped him as it slowly pushed deeper into him. It did feel sort of good, but weird. He wasnt at all used to the feeling of something in his bum. As the finger curled slightly to rub up against his prostate, he couldnt help but to whimper again. 

"You like it?" Papa hummed sensually as he tried to get more sounds out of him. What he had gotten was nice, but far from enough. He started to smoothly pull it in and out of him, patiently preparing him for more. The sight of his sexy cardinal helplessly squirming under his touch slowly drove him crazy and he wanted to just fuck him right there and then, but he knew he couldnt. He rubbed up against his prostate again, watching as he tensed up. It was a satisfying sight indeed. 

Copia was slowly getting used to the odd feeling of Papa's finger inside him. It was even starting to feel pleasurable to him. Every time the pope pushed up against his wall of flesh, he squirmed a little and the tip of his cock started to leak some more precum. While he was enjoying himself and starting to relax, he was suddenly surprised by another finger. It stretched him a little and the stimulation against his prostate became more aggressive. It caused him to moan from pleasure and his cock twitched, desperately craving attention. He couldnt believe how amazing it felt to be stimulated like this. 

Papa was more than happy to have gotten that moan out of his cardinal, and he was soon getting more as he rubbed him harder. It was difficult for him to try and ignore his own painfully hard member now as it desperately needed to be buried deep inside the sexy man next to him. He took his time loosening him up though before he felt comfortable with moving on to the next step. 

"You may sit", he told him as he pulled his fingers from him and gently lowered his legs down. While he waited for his cardinal to remove himself from his lap, he grabbed the tube of lube to pour a good amount of it into his hand. His heart was racing too now as he realized how close he was to making his dream come true. Once he had gripped his own cock again, he stroked it slowly, a deep moan escaping his lips. He couldnt wait to shove it into his beautiful cardinal. 

Copia watched him, feeling both aroused and nervous. Papa sure was a sexy man... He realized that he had been staring at his crotch now and quickly looked up to meet his eyes when a hand grabbed his wrist.

"Come... Sit", it pulled at him, encouraging him to get up, but he hesitated. His heart was racing even faster in his chest now and he was struggling with deciding on what to do. "We will take it slow", Papa said then, probably seeing the worry in his features. After having inhaled a deep breath, Copia nodded and stood, allowing his pope to grab his hips to gently guide him towards him. He was forced to push his legs further apart than unusual as he needed them on each side of the chair. He was now nervously standing over his lap, holding onto the backsupport while Papa stroked his thighs. The man didnt waste any time, but grabbed his own cock then to pull it up straight for his cardinal. Copia hesitated again of course, taking a few moments to breathe before he carefully lowered himself down. 

Papa's free hand was still on his hip, guiding him towards his cock. When the slippery tip came in contact with Copia's bum, he swallowed, stilling for a moment. Closing his eyes hard, he lowered himself some more, letting the tip slowly slip through his buttcheeks. It wasnt so bad, but pushing down on it felt a bit weird. It did slide in easily though. Once it did, he heard Papa moaning and he couldnt help but to feel aroused by it. It made his flesh tingle around the tip, making him more eager to take the rest of the lenght inside him. His legs were starting to tremble from holding his weight in this weird position and so he allowed himself to sink a bit further down, this time causing Papa to gasp and groan. The hand that had been holding his cock was now back on his hip and they both gripped him harder.

Now it was Copia's turn to moan. The strange pressure stretching him was uncomfortable but also stimulated his sensitive nerves. He was glad that Papa was holding some of his weight up as he wasnt ready to take in all of the lenght at once. As he kept sliding down, his hands gripped the backsupport of Papa's chair harder and he also found himself unable to keep his mouth shut. As he let out a number of whimpers and moans, he could feel the cock inside him twitching and throbbing eagerly, as well as getting slightly harder.

Papa was definitely pleased with getting some more sounds of pleasure out of his cardinal and his eyes roamed over his body as he slowly pushed him down on his thick shaft. Once he felt those lovely buttcheeks connecting with his thighs, he let out a soft moan, licking his lips and waited for Copia to get comfortable. 

"How does it feel?" he asked him, smirking a little as their gazes locked. His cardinal was looking slightly drained and he was panting a bit. The sight was very arousing to Papa. 

"....Different..", Copia replied eventually, letting his eyes close for now. He could feel Papa's hands lifting him slightly before gently pushing him back down, making him groan. It didnt hurt at all, but it wasnt comfortable either. He kept still as Papa repeated this a few times, seemingly enjoying himself by the sounds of it. 

"You feel so good", the pope grunted as he started to thrust upwards into Copia. He was starting to pant a bit too at this point, but he had no plans on stopping. Not even to slow down a bit. The arms that wrapped around his shoulders now only made him more eager and he moved his hands up to wrap his own around Copia's waist. He then continued to thrust upwards desperately, occasionally rotating his hips to get some more stimulation. The soft moans that he got out of his cardinal was just making him unbelievably horny and he allowed himself to express his pleasure too. Eventually, he pulled Copia up a bit to push him down again, working a little faster now than before. Once he felt him starting to help, he was lost in pleasure, unable to do much else than to breathe and to desperately slide the cardinal up and down his cock. 

Copia was starting to really enjoy himself now. Once he had gotten used to this strange, new experience, he was able to relax again. He never thought it could feel this good to have sex with another man and he was eagerly pushing down on Papa's cock in time with his thrusts. He did also allow himself to show his pope how much he enjoyed his cock by moaning louder. He could feel Papa's hot breath against his shoulder and the feeling of his lips against his skin nearly drove him insane, causing him to reach down inbetween them to stroke his own cock. 

As Papa had been feeling extremely horny the last two days, he couldnt stop himself from reaching his peak already. Copia's moaning together with the feeling of his naked body squirming in his arms just overwhelmed him and he came hard, crying out in pleasure as he rocked his hips feverishly against his cardinal. Copia wasnt far behind him. The sounds of pleasure coming from Papa quickly pushed him over the edge and he came hard too, whimpering as he spilled a big load of cum onto the pope's shirt. They both stilled and relaxed then, trying to catch their breaths. 

Even though Copia had been hesitant and even scared of having a cock shoved up his bum, he was glad he tried it. It had turned out to be an amazing experience, just like Papa had promised him. He could feel exhaustion washing over him suddenly and he closed his eyes again, still panting a little. The moment they were sharing was rather cosy and they remained like that for a couple of minutes before Papa gently started to kiss his shoulder and up his neck. 

The pope was beyond happy and satisfied at this point. He had finally gotten to make love to his sweet cardinal and he didnt think it could get any better than this. While he rested, he continued to plant soft, loving kisses along Copia's neck, feeling as though he couldnt get enough of him. Eventually though, he was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable and in need of freeing his softened cock from the other man's bum and so he carefully grabbed his hips to lift him off of his lap. 

Copia groaned when Papa slid out of him and he pushed himself up to stand again on weak legs. They trembled slightly as he put his weight on them and backed away. 

"Careful", Papa told him as he too stood, chuckling a little at his cardinal. He enjoyed seeing the aftermath of what he had done to him and if it wasnt for the fact that he had just had an orgasm, he would have grabbed him and had his way with him again. He would soon enough though. That was for sure. 

"I hope you liked it", he said to him as he offered him his hand. "I'm guessing you did", he added with a smile, making Copia blush. He did take Papa's hand and let him lead him out of the kitchen. 

"I did...", he replied quietly, feeling a bit embarrassed still. The next time they came to a stop was in the bedroom by the side of the pope's bed. 

"I believe we could both need some rest", Papa said as he climbed up on it, soon followed by his cardinal. Once he had him close to him, he pressed him down onto his back to lock his lips onto his, putting some of his weight on top of him. Copia moaned into his mouth, arching up against him as his tongue forced its way into it. He found that it really turned him on and that he could probably go for another round if Papa kept this up. They spent a while just kissing and cuddling, forgetting about their duties and the outside world for now.


	5. chapter 5

A slight rumbling sound interrupted their moment and Papa broke the kiss, pulling back slightly with a growing smile on his face. 

"I think it's time we had dinner", he said lovingly as he felt that familiar bubbly vibration in his upper stomach. He couldnt resist leaning down one last time to plant a soft kiss on his lover's lips again. He wanted to kiss him more. He wanted to kiss him all night, but he knew that that wasnt realistic. 

Copia smiled softly at him, waiting until he had moved off of him before sitting up himself. All of this still felt surreal to him. Here he was.. half naked in his Papa's bed. Unbelievable... At least he felt less anxious and less embarrassed about it at this point. 

"Yes, you're right", he replied as he moved to the edge of the bed. Papa had already left it and was patiently waiting for his cardinal to do so as well. Once he did, the pope reached his hand out for him to place his own in his palm. Without a word, Copia did so and was gently pulled towards the doorway. He had to admit that it felt really good to hold someone's hand like this. All of this time that he had spent with Papa had made him realize how lonely he had been before meeting him and he didnt want to go back to that place. Hopefully his new love interest was serious about wanting to be with him. He subconsciously squeezed his hand a little as thoughts of rejection came to occupy his mind.

The slight squeeze made Papa smile and throw a glance over his shoulder at his cardinal. He was struggling with resisting the temptation to pull him close and kiss him again. Fortunately there would be time for that later. When first meeting Copia, he knew that he had been attracted to him, but he didnt know he would fall so hard for him. He almost felt like a school boy with a crush all over again. Once they entered the kitchen, he let go of the cardinal's hand to walk over to the counter. To his satisfaction, the stew was still warm and he smiled to himself as he opened a cupboard and brought two bowls out. Copia had picked up his discarded pants in the meantime and was currently putting them back on. At the memories of their intimate moment, his heart sped up its pace a little, but not in a bad way. 

"You may take a shower if you want to", Papa said suddenly, making Copia think for a moment. He did want to clean up, but he didnt have any clean clothes to use... 

"I .... Yes... I need to go back to my quarters and get some...clean underwear", he spoke quietly as he buttoned his pants, noticing that the pope's gaze momentarily dropped to his crotch area. It made him want to smile, but he refrained from doing so. 

"I have plenty of clothes that you can borrow", Papa insisted, getting a slightly surprised look in return. He was currently scooping some food into the bowls for them, feeling an immense need to eat before he took care of anything else. "I think we are about the same size anyway", he continued, once again glancing at his cardinal and dropping his gaze to his crotch. This caused a light blush to spread across Copia's cheeks and he quietly moved over to the table to sit. 

"I appreciate that..", he replied, folding his hands in his lap as he waited for Papa to come over with the food and some cuttlery. Once it was put on the table, the pope proceeded with picking up his own pants, feeling unsophisticated without them. Especially during a dinner for two. As he sat down too, thoughts of taking a shower came back to him, followed by mental images of a naked Copia under the running water. He took a deep breath as he picked his spoon up, trying not to think about it, or he would probably get a boner. He was pleased that his cardinal seemed to want to stay and shower at his place. He didnt want him to leave because of it. He actually didnt want him to leave at all... 

They ate in silence for a while as neither of them felt a need to speak at the time. Copia did feel less tense and nervous this time around, which was a good thing. He supposed that being intimate with Papa had made him less awkward about intimate situations... He felt a yawn trying to escape him now but he managed to surpress it and he turned his attention to the clock on the wall. It was half past six and yet he felt as though it was much later than that. More silent minutes passed as they were finishing their meals and Copia occasionally threw glances at the man opposite of him, wondering why he was being so quiet. He wasnt used to him not talking all the time. Perhaps he had changed his mind about all of this.... He shook his head to himself and put his spoon down. He knew he shouldnt think like that. Still, he couldnt just let the thought go. 

"Thank you, Papa..... I mean...", he lowered his gaze. "Ignazio...", he added quietly, pondering for a couple of seconds before he lifted his gaze again to meet the pope's. 

"You are very welcome, my dear cardinal", Papa replied, smiling at him before he focused on scraping the side of the bowl to try and scoop up what was left in there. 

"But... I think..", Copia started again, noticing that Papa stilled to look up at him again. "I... could shower at home...", he made a pause, unsure of what it was that the other man was feeling right now. "It's late anyway...", he continued as he pushed his chair out to stand. He got as far as to grab his bowl and spoon and move over to the sink before Papa eventually replied.

"I would like you to stay", he told him, making a pleasant shiver run up through Copia's spine. He put the bowl down, filling it up with water to buy himself some time to think his answer through. He wasnt sure if Papa had plans for them... He would feel bad about turning him down, but he was tired and... today had been alot for him. He didnt think he was up for anything sexual tonight. Besides, his bum was slightly sore. He decided to turn to face him now, seeing the hopefulness in his eyes. 

"I will stay and shower if you want me to", he replied, feeling too guilty to leave. Papa just smiled slightly as he too stood. 

"What I meant was that I would like you to stay the night", he replied, seeing that this announcement had made his cardinal thoughtful again and he let him think for a moment while he headed to the sink to put his own dishes in there. He hoped he wouldnt get rejected, but he supposed that it wouldnt be so bad. At least Copia seemed to like him enough to want to come back to him.

"Oh...", came the hesitant reply eventually and Papa smiled again, gesturing for him to follow him across the room. They exited it and returned to his bedroom where he started rummaging through his wardrobe. 

"I will not force you to stay", he ensured Copia as he carefully looked through the clothes hanging in there. He eventually pulled out a dark purple bathrobe, which he handed to him. 

"I understand..", Copia replied as he watched the pope moving over to the big dresser further into the room. He wasnt opposed to the idea of sleeping at his superior's place, but as always, his anxiety was making him feel uncomfortable. The smile that he got from him then warmed his heart up a little and he felt some of his tension run off him. 

"You can take these", Papa told him as he came back over to him with a pair of boxers. "There are towels in the bathroom", he added before he turned away again to pull one of the blankets off his bed. Copia was hesitating a bit, watching as the pope folded the fabric. He didnt want to be weird and awkward and linger for too long though so he headed out of the room and down the corridor towards the bathroom. Showering at someone else's place felt weird to him. He felt as though he shouldnt be there. Since it was what Papa wanted though, he would go along with it. 

The room was definitely luxurious and big. It also had a really big bathtub and a comfy looking chair in the corner. He supposed he could get used to this. Feeling even weirder now, he started removing his clothes to put them in the nearby laundry bag. It took him a minute to figure out how the shower worked, but when he did, he sighed as the warm water hit his tired body. He realized that he was feeling exhausted again and was more than willing to sleep after he was done in there. He felt as though some of the tension in his muscles went away finally and he allowed himself to just enjoy the water for a while before even thinking about cleaning himself up. 

Back in the bedroom, Papa was cheerfully changing the bedding. He wanted to use his most fancy blankets now that his special guest would be sleeping over. The thought excited him. It was such an intimate place to be together, and to be able to hold him in his arms all night would be wonderful. Next, he turned the lights off, only leaving the bedside lamp on and made sure to pull the curtains over the windows. Then he stripped down to his boxers, thinking that he should be respectful enough to keep them on. After all, he didnt want to scare Copia off again. As he patiently waited for him to finish up in the bathroom, he decided on brining out a bathrobe for himself. Getting out of bed in the morning tended to be a bit chilly when sleeping naked. Or almost naked anyway. 

Copia had spent a good few minutes in the shower before he felt ready to leave it. For a while he had almost forgotten that he was at Papa's place and that this was a rather awkward situation. Those emotions came back to him in full force as he stepped out to grab a towel. The ends of his hair were slightly wet, but fortunately he still looked presentable. As he didnt want his pope to have to wait for him any longer than he already had, he quickly dried himself off before putting his boxers on together with the robe. He then quietly made his way back down the corridor towards Papa's bedroom, slowly working on closing the robe around his naked chest. 

When he arrived to the room, he slowed down in the doorway, coming to a halt as Papa had suddenly turned around to face him. There was a growing smile on the man's face as he immediately approached him. Copia remained still in the doorway, slightly nervous about his intentions. 

"You look incredibly sexy in my clothes", Papa hummed sensually as he slowed down to a halt in front of him. This caused Copia to blush, but he was soon distracted by the pope's hands on him as he was pulled into his arms suddenly. He couldnt stop the sudden gasp that wanted to escape him as Papa's lips locked onto his neck. He whimpered softly as heat rushed throughout his body at the arousing treatment. The pope's hungry kisses made him yearn for him again, but he was so tired... He tried not to become too affected by the affection given to him, but it was rather difficult as Papa was now moving on to his jaw, kissing every centimeter of it. He would let him even though he was struggling to calm himself down. 

Papa could feel his own breathing becoming heavier in time with his heart speeding up its beats. His cardinal was just too sexy and he felt that he had kept his hands off of him long enough already. The soft, wet skin under his lips just fueled his hunger for him further and he shifted a little to start kissing down the other side of his neck. If he had had the patience, he would have kissed every little inch of his body right there and then. He knew that Copia was tired though, and he didnt want to push him too far in one day. He also suspected that his sexy little ass was pretty sore from their playtime earlier. Eventually, he pulled back, smiling slightly mischiveiously at him. 

"I'm going to clean up too", he told him as he let him go, taking a step back before he turned to step up to the bed where his green robe was waiting for him. He believed that he had riled his cardinal up quite a bit considering how flushed he had looked a moment ago, but he wouldnt ask him to sleep with him again. Not tonight. "You may go to bed in the meantime", he added as he turned back to him, smiling again before he passed him and headed out into the corridor. Copia just nodded to himself after Papa had left. He was still a bit overwhelmed but eventually snapped out of it and headed over to the bed. He removed the robe, placing it carefully on a nearby chair before he climbed into bed. His heart started to beat fast in his chest again as he was nervous about being in bed with Papa. It was such a private place that he had been invited to. 

As he laid down on his side, facing away from the rest of the bed, he let his eyelids fall closed, embracing the sleepiness that washed over him. He hoped that he would get enough sleep this night. He realized that he must have dozed off, because he suddenly felt as though he was woken up. He could feel movements on the bed behind him now and tensed up when a hand gently touched his shoulder. Soon after, he felt Papa's warm body against his back as he was embraced from behind. It was slightly distracting to him, but as he was very tired, he didnt think it would be a problem. He was slowly falling asleep again, soothed by Papa's warm breath on his neck. 

The following morning, Copia woke up to a stream of light shining in through the deep purple curtains and he squinted his eyes slightly at it. As he rolled over onto his back, he noticed that Papa was asleep next to him, facing away from him. Waking up in his bed felt strange and the memories of yesterday caught up with him quickly, making everything feel even more surreal. It was rather calming to watch the pope's upper body slowly heave with each breath. He looked so peaceful...

Copia didnt feel like he could go back to sleep and so he decided to carefully get out of bed to head to the kitchen. He took the liberty to make some coffee for both of them, thinking that Papa would probably appreciate it. He also found an apple to eat while he waited for it to brew. He started to wonder how this would affect their work relationship... Perhaps he would be better off working for someone else from now on... Once the coffee was done, he poured it into two cups and headed back to the bedroom. It seemed that Papa was still asleep, but as he went through the doorway, he tripped over the treshold, gasping as he did. He quickly regained his balance, but unfortunatelty he had woken his superior up. A bit of guilt displayed in his features as the man sat up in bed to stare at him with tired eyes, his hair ruffled and pointing in all directions. 

"I'm sorry", Copia apologized quietly as he slowly moved into the room and towards the bed. Papa just blinked at him for a moment before his gaze dropped to the two cups in Copia's hands. It immediately put a smile on his face and he shifted to swing his legs over the edge of the bed, but remained seated. 

"No need to be sorry. I should get up anyway", he replied softly, smiling at his cardinal as he reached out to recieve the cup of coffee. "You would make an excellent housewife", he added playfully before he sipped his drink. He noticed the scowl on his lover's face then and lowered the cup to his lap. "I'm kidding", he ensured him, even though the thought of having him run around in an apron all day was tempting. 

Copia sat down next to him, quietly drinking his coffee. He was a bit too tired for jokes, but also too tired to be annoyed with Papa. While they were enjoying their coffee, the pope eventually got up to pull the curtains aside. The sky was covered with grey clouds, but other than that the weather looked nice. 

Papa knew that he had some work to catch up with today, but the urge to spend it with Copia instead was pretty strong. Perhaps if he let himself enjoy his company for a couple of hours first, he might feel less unwilling to work later. From what he could tell, there wasnt a single soul down there in the garden. Perhaps he and Copia could take a short walk together... He turned back to face him then, downing the last of his coffee.

"How about we go out for a stroll, hm?" he said as he started walking across the room towards the door to head for the kitchen. He didnt really feel hungry yet anyway. 

As Papa had left the room, Copia hadnt gotten a chance to answer him, but only to think the offer through. He supposed that he could go for a walk.. It was probably a bit cold outside, but that would probably be fine. He stood now to exit the bedroom and to find his Papa. As he walked down the corridor he could hear running water and assumed that he was in the bathroom, so he just kept walking until he reached the kitchen. He put his cup in the dishwasher and then returned to the bedroom. His coat was still in the bathroom from the night before, but he couldnt go in there right now. Thoughts of checking up on his rats came to him out of the blue then and he looked towards the bedroom doorway. He was curious about how Papa felt about rodents. He hoped he didnt hate them... The sound of the bathroom door opening now snapped him out of his thoughts and he kept staring at the doorway until his pope appeared in it moments later. 

"Hey", Papa greeted him simply as he entered the room, heading to his wardrobe immediately. He looked through it for a few seconds before he pulled out a pair of black pants and a black shirt for Copia. He figured that purple wouldnt go together with red that well. "You can borrow this for now", he told him the second before he threw the clothes to him. Of course poor Copia only managed to catch the pants and had to crouch down to pick up the shirt from the floor, obviously a bit embarrassed. While Papa looked for something to wear, Copia started to quietly get dressed. He also headed out to the bathroom to retrieve his coats jacket, which he buttoned all the way up, feeling cold already. 

When he was done, he returned to the bedroom, almost bumping into Papa on his way there. It put a smile on both of their faces and the pope gestured for him to follow him down the corridor and out the door to his quarters. They walked in silence for most of the time it took them to reach the backdoor of the church. It lead them outside into the gardens. The sky was just as grey as before and the trees were slowly losing their leaves which easily dropped in the cold wind. It was obvious that summer was over and that fall had now taken its place. 

Papa was thinking of something to say, but he couldnt come up with anything at the moment. He didnt know why. Perhaps he was just tired. Instead, he stole glances at Copia every now and then, admiring his cute face and his hair getting slightly ruffled by the wind. The cold made him want to grab him and pull him close for a cuddle. Preferably under a warm blanket. As they neared a certain copse, he couldnt help but to smile to himself as memories overflooded his brain.

"That was my best hiding place as a kid", he pointed to the group of trees. In the spring and summer they were usually thick and puffy, providing a great cover for playing hide and seek. Now they had lost most of their leaves and were very see through.This made Copia look up at him and then at the copse. It put a smile on his face as he turned his attention back to Papa.

"That's cute", he replied. It was strange to imagine him as a little kid running around the gardens. It sort of made him wish that he could have been there with him and shared his childhood.... He kept quiet as his absent gaze returned to the copse. It must have been great growing up here, with everything you could possibly want. 

"So... where did you grow up?" Papa asked him suddenly, boring his gaze into him as they slowly walked down a small gravel path. Any question was an excuse for him to stare at him. Copia just glanced at him shortly before he returned to looking ahead of them. 

"In Verona", he replied, shivering for a moment as a cold, slightly stronger wind passed them by. 

"And do you have any siblings?" he was asked, making him smile at how curious Papa was suddenly.

"Yes. A sister", he replied, looking at him now. He seemed genuinely interested in his life, which was a good sign. He hoped that he really was... There wasnt much he could ask Papa about his family as he already knew that he had a father and two brothers. There were of course other questions he could ask but he didnt think them appropriate, and he thought them a bit too personal at this point in their relationship. Or what he hoped was a relationship anyway.... He bowed his head slightly, wrapping his arms around himself as his heart started hurting in that way again. 

"I would like to meet them some day", Papa replied then and Copia noticed that he was smiling to himself now. It made it hard for him not to believe him. He then turned his gaze to the side of the church where big rose bushes were climbing up the wall. Mostly red ones, but also some white and pink ones. There used to be more of them, but as autumn had arrived, alot of them had withered and died. Now there was mostly roots and thorns left. Papa noticed that his cardinal was looking towards the wall and he started heading over there, still smiling. Copia of course followed him, but he was starting to wish that they could go inside soon. He didnt know why he was just feeling colder and colder. Perhaps he was just tired. 

Papa was still smiling as he walked up to the wall to pluck a red rose from it's bush, turning and closing the few steps between him and his cardinal.

"For you, my dear", he said as he reached the flower out for him to take. This obviously surprised Copia and he was stunned for a moment before he reached out to receive it. It had a beautiful, deep red color, still plump and luscious as if it was still the middle of summer. He didnt know for how long he stared at it, but he eventually looked up at his smiling pope. There was an obvious displaying of love in the man's eyes, convincing Copia further that he was not just playing with him. A drop of water suddenly landed on one of the petals, but he ignored it and moved forward to wrap his arms around Papa's neck. He didnt hesitate, but leaned in to kiss him passionately. The pope returned it, wrapping his own arms around Copia's waist to pull him closer. He couldnt have dreamt about a better reaction than this from his beautiful cardinal and he happily kept kissing him, ignoring the raindrops that landed on his face now. The rain was increasing pretty quickly now but neither of them wanted to part so they kept kissing, letting the drops slowly soak them. A minute or so later, they eventually parted, both smiling and both shivering slightly from the cold, damp clothes against their skin. 

"We should go back inside", Papa suggested after having peeked up at the darkening sky. Alot of grey clouds were moving in over the gardens now.

"Yes, we should", Copia agreed, staring at his rose for another few seconds before he turned to start heading back to the door they had exited through before. Papa did of course follow him and they both hurried as the rain was now starting to pour down like a waterfall. Once inside, they quietly headed back to Papa's quarters to change into some dry, warm clothes.

"I will have to spend quite some time with work today", the pope informed his cardinal while they were getting dressed. It was obvious from his tone of voice that he really didnt want to do it. At least he would have a hansome man waiting for him once he came back home. 

"I understand", Copia replied, brushing some wet hair out of his face before proceeding with putting a shirt on. "Is there anything you would like me to do?" he asked then, smiling slightly at how messy and annoyed Papa looked. The pope noticed this of course and he raised his eyebrows at him as he buttoned his shirt.

"What's so funny?" he asked, playfully of course. Copia just looked down, still smiling as he buttoned his own shirt.

"Nothing...", he replied, seeing the pope moving in the corner of his eye now. 

"Tell me", he said as he came up to him, placing his hands on the cardinal's waist. It was quite difficult for him to keep his hands off him. Copia just shook his head as he lifted his gaze to meet his eyes.

"You look cute", he replied eventually, reaching out to brush piece of hair away from Papa's face. This made the pope shudder slightly and he moved in closer, now wrapping his arms around Copia's waist to hold him tightly to him. 

"You do too, my sweet cardinal", he replied sensually, lidding his eyes slightly as he licked his lips. "You may hand out those papers I asked you to", he continued, reaching a hand up to cup Copia's cheek. "Then you are free to do whatever you like", he continued before he leaned in to gently kiss his lips. This made Copia's heart flutter and his knees were getting slightly weak. He had hoped that Papa would kiss him again, but instead, he pulled back again to run a hand through his hair, slicking it back slightly.

"I will do that", Copia replied, thinking that he should also go back to his own quarters to check on his rats. His heart was racing a bit in his chest still and he slipped the tip of his tongue out to run it over his lips, missing the taste of Papa's against them. He then watched as he put a coat on before he left the room. He followed him to his office where he was gathering some things and a couple of papers before walking pass him out of the room, towards the kitchen. Once there, Papa opened the fridge to grab a sandwich before he was on his way again. This time to the front door. Again, Copia followed him, stopping behind him as he reached up to grab his keys.

"I will see you in a few hours then", the pope said suddenly before spinning around to give him a small smile. Copia just nodded, missing him already. He was thinking about doing some more cleaning for him while he was gone. That would probably make him happy. He was snapped out of his thoughts then as Papa suddenly turned and opened the door. 

"Papa..", he blurted out, wanting to stop him before he headed outside. He had thought he would get a goodbye kiss and was slightly surprised that the pope had just decided to leave. Papa looked a bit surprised too when he turned around in the doorway to face him yet again. Copia swallowed, feeling a bit insecure again and his heart was racing slightly in his chest now. Maybe he was being silly. He should just wish him a good day and let him go... That wasnt what he wanted though. 

"I..", he started quietly, taking a step towards him. He hated his tendency to blush and he started to curse himself in his mind for it. He felt like a little shy school boy right now, and he didnt like it. Without any further words, he took one last step up to him to lean in and give him a kiss. Papa obviously liked this as he was smiling again as they parted. "Have a good day..", he said to him before he took a couple of steps back again.

"You too, sweet Altaro", the pope replied, still smiling as he turned and exited the quarters. "Oh..there's an extra key in the cabinet over there", he added suddenly and pointed to a small one on the wall above the chair before he closed the door behind him and locked it. He wanted his cardinal to be able to leave his quarters, after all. 

Copia nodded, mostly to himself though as Papa had already closed the door. He then moved his gaze to the cabinet for a moment before deciding on eating something before he started working. He was feeling pretty hungry at this point. As he had been so used to Papa's presence the last two days, he almost felt lonely when sitting down by the kitchen table with a sandwich and another cup of coffee. He thought back to some of the moments they had shared as he ate and he couldnt help but to blush again when memories of their first...intimate time together popped up in his head. He shook it slightly and tried to forget about it for now. He should be focusing on work and not walk around thinking about Papa all day. That would be easier said than done though. 

When he had finished his breakfast, he made sure to put his cup in the dishwasher and turned it on before he left to find the stack of papers from the other day. His heartbeat started to increase now as he remembered that horrifying incident and his heart skipped a beat as he arrived to the small table near the front door of the quarters. The papers were still there. He was almost afraid to touch them again. He knew that the beast was locked away and heavily guarded though. It might even have been transported from the church at this point. His hand was trembling slightly as he reached out to take the papers, reading the name on the upper left of the green stack on top. It said Sister Camilla, but he knew that Sister Serena's office was closer, so he would start there. Still anxious, he decided to fix his hair a bit and to just get this over with. He didnt want to disappoint Papa. After all, he was his boss.

Once he had handed out all the papers, he returned to Papa's quarters to see if the dishwasher had finished and to do some simple cleaning here and there. He also made the bed, smiling to himself as memories of the pope's soft hugs and kisses came back to him. It was with a warm, fuzzy feeling that he left his quarters to return to his own for a bit.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey. sorry for the late update, but here it is

Once Copia arrived to his own quarters he made sure to feed his rats and to spend some time with them before doing anything else. He needed to do some cleaning at home as well. This reminded him of how Papa had given him so much time off work. He was a bit concerned that he was taking on too much himself or having the other cardinals do more work than they should. He needed to confront him about it later.

As a couple hours passed, he found himself missing the pope and his touches and kisses, but he kept himself busy with cleaning and other things. Eventually, he had to sit down for a break, but was soon getting bored. His gaze traveled over the bookcases in his livingroom and he wondered if he should read for a bit... He did have a few books he hadnt even opened yet. He wondered if Papa enjoyed reading. He also wanted to introduce him to his furry little friends. The thought made him smile as he got up to walk over to the nearest bookshelf. He looked through the titles before he decided on one and walked back to sit in his most comfy chair.

\---

Papa wasnt having a very good time at work. It wasnt that it was boring, but that his heart was longing for a certain Cardinal. Fortunately he didnt have any problems focusing on his job. He had just helped some lower ranked Cardinals with learning how to do lesser rituals and was currently putting away some things that they had been using. He wished that he could have been with Copia back when was learning how to be a Cardinal. It would have been nice to be able to help him and to just be close to him. His trail of thoughts was suddenly interrupted as something shattered on the floor a few meters away, making him spin around to see that one of the Cardinals had dropped a vial and that it was now spread out in a million little pieces. The poor thing looked very guilty but Papa just smiled at him and stepped over to him.

"I'm so sorry, Papa", the said man immediately crouched to start picking up the shards, but the pope stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Dont be. Accidents happen", he replied. "You shouldnt touch that with your hands", he added before he turned his attention to one of the other Cardinals. "Get a broom, will you?" he asked before stepping back to give the man before him some space to get up again. His heart skipped a beat as he was reminded of how clumsy Copia tended to be and a slight warmth spread throughout him at the cute memories.

"Papa..?" he realized that he had lost himself in his thoughts when the Cardinal before him addressed him again and he immediately snapped out of it.

"Yes?" he said, stepping pass him to head towards the door now. He wished he could see Copia this instant but there was still work to be done. 

"Same time tomorrow?" the man asked behind him. He didnt stop or turn to look at him as he headed out the doorway.

"Yes", he replied, now hurrying down the corridor. The sooner he could do today's work, the sooner he could go home to his new favorite person. 

\---

Back in his quarters, Copia had managed to read for about an hour before he had started feeling hungry again. Two of his rats had been resting on his lap for the last twenty minutes or so and he felt slightly bad about moving them. As he carefully closed the book and put it aside on the small table next to him, he gazed down at the little rodents, watching their bodies slowly heave with each calm breath. They truly looked peaceful. It made him feel at peace too. He would have gladly spent some more time with them but he needed to eat and he knew that there would possibly be some work waiting for him once Papa returned to his quarters. 

Smiling now, he carefully stroked one of the rats with the back of his hand, watching as its whiskers twitched slightly in response. He couldnt help but to chuckle as its tail quivered suddenly, telling him that his little pet was enjoying the affection. He allowed himself to stay with them for just a few more minutes, making sure to give both of them some love before he eventually had to get up. He gently lifted the sleepy rats off his lap and sat them down on the chair once he had gotten up from it.

"Sleep well, my loves. I will be back soon", he promised them before he turned and headed out of the livingroom and to his front door. As he and Papa had exchanged numbers earlier, he thought of the idea of sending him a message to ask if he had time to have lunch with him. If not, he would just stay and eat some leftovers at his place. He would of course miss him, but he knew that he would see him later anyway. He was happy to receive a text back a couple of minutes later, not noticing that he was smiling as he opened it up. It said that Papa was going to have lunch in the public dining room and that he was welcome to join him if he wanted to. Copia thought it a bit odd, but then again, he didnt know him that well yet. He had thought that the pope might have wanted to spend some private time with him since they couldnt see each other for most of today. He supposed he was wrong. He decided not to think too much of it though and he put his shoes and his coat on before exiting his quarters. 

A few minutes later, he neared the public dining room, hearing a buzzing sound of voices from inside. He stopped momentarily in the doorway, seeing that there was quite alot of people in there. He didnt know where Papa was yet but he decided to head over to the kitchen to get himself some food before looking for him. He was pretty hungry by now and whatever it was that was cooking in there was smelling amazing. Once he entered, he noticed that it was some sort of a soup. He also glanced around just in case Papa was in there, but he wasnt. Once he had gotten his soup, he exited the kitchen again and strolled around in the dining room, looking for the pope. He couldnt see him anywhere. Perhaps he was late... A bit disappointed, he decided to find an empty spot somewhere to sit down when he suddenly heard a familiar voice call out for him. He froze and stopped walking, automatically turning his head in the direction of the voice. He couldnt stop himself from blushing when he spotted Papa at a table further down the room. The pope waved at him and he had a smile on that beautiful face of his. He didnt know how he could have missed him. Perhaps he was more tired than he had thought. As he neared the table, he noticed that Papa was having lunch with three sisters. He politely greeted them before he sat down next to him, focusing on his lunch. The three of them seemed pretty bubbly and outgoing and Papa seemed to really enjoy their company. It was too bad he couldnt be more like them... 

He was eating silently for a couple of minutes, feeling a bit left out and lonely. He was starting to wonder if Papa was losing interest in him or not. He knew that he liked to sleep around, so maybe he was changing his mind about the whole relationship thing... He didnt know why he let his thoughts escalate like that, but Papa was a handsome, charming man and there was alot of competition out there... He had lost himself in his thoughts for the time being and almost didnt notice the hand that was slowly brushing against his thigh. He looked up the pope in surprise but realized that he wasnt looking at him. He sat there frozen as the hand continued to brush against his leg before it carefully moved up on top of his thigh, stilling there. He cleared his throat once before he continued to eat, trying not to blush. He was of course afraid that someone would see Papa's hand, but he didnt want to shove it away either. The pope was softly smiling as two of the sisters joked around, but eventually turned his head towards Copia instead, noticing that he was being very quiet. 

"How are you doing, Cardi?" he asked him, watching as he ate quietly. He could have stared at him for way longer, but he didnt want to make him uncomfortable. He didnt know how he felt about being public about their relationship yet. 

"I'm good", Copia replied eventually, glancing at him before he continued to eat. Papa just nodded and brought his free hand up to take a bite of his sandwich. 

"Good. You seemed unusually quiet. That's all", he commented, smiling softly at him. He wanted to give him a kiss so bad, but that would be inaproppriate of him as they were currently out in public. He really didnt want to wrong him. Next, he moved his gaze to the clock on the wall, noting that he would have to work for four more hours before he could see his cardinal again. It seemed like an awfully long time... 

"I didnt have anything to say", came Copia's voice suddenly and Papa turned his attention back to him, taking another bite of his sandwich. He knew that the cardinaö was a bit shy, but for some reason he had gotten the feeling that there was something else that made him unwilling to speak. It was probably all in his head though. 

"That's alright", he replied, more cheerfully now and removed his hand from the cardinal's leg. He finished his sandwich then and decided that he should get back to work. If he used some of his lunch time for it, he might be able to go home a bit earlier. 

"Ladies, I will see you in my office when you are done", he told the three sisters as he stood. He nodded to Copia who was now looking up at him with his cute eyes. He could have grabbed him right there and then and kissed him until he couldnt breathe anymore, but instead he just gave him a simple nod.

"I'll see you later, Cardi", he told him right as he left the table to head back to his office. 

Copia didnt exactly like this new nickname, but he would let Papa get away with it. There wasnt much that he wouldnt let him get away with actually... Once he had taken his eyes off of his back, they landed on the three sisters. Two of them smiled at him before looking away to continue their eating. The third sighed as she put her spoon down and propped her elbow up on the table, leaning her chin in the palm of her hand. 

"Papa is so handsome. Isnt he?" she said with a dreamy voice. The two others agreed, making Copia smile to himself. He really missed his touches now. He was very fortunate to have him as his boyfriend. All of this reminded him that he needed to talk to him about work. He didnt know if there was anything for him to do today or not, and although he appreciated the time off, he didnt want Papa to dump his work on someone else. He quickly finished the rest of his lunch before standing and saying his goodbyes to the sisters. Since lunch wasnt over until another ten minutes, he thought he could use this time to talk to Papa before the three ladies would arrive.

He hurried to his quarters, panting slightly when he knocked on the door. A few seconds later he could hear a distant voice from within telling him to come inside, and so he opened the door and headed for the office room. He didnt want to startle Papa or interrupt him too much so he just quietly peeked in through the slit in the door. He smiled when he spotted him in there by his desk. He looked bored. Still smiling softly, he carefully pushed the door open, leaning against the doorway as he waited for the pope to notice him. He did a couple of seconds later, looking surprised to see him at first. Then his lips spread into a smile. 

"Altaro...... hey", he greeted him, feeling warmth spreading throughout his chest at the sight of his beautiful cardinal in the doorway. The shape of his slender body leaning against the door frame awoke something in him, but he wouldnt act on it. Not now. Not when he was working. At least not when he was expecting guests. 

"Hi... Am I interupting your work?" Copia asked softly, straightening up slightly. 

"No. Not at all", Papa replied, his smile widening. He watched hungrily as the cardinal stepped into the room, casually making his way up to his desk. 

"What can I do for you?" he asked, wishing that they could have a little bit of fun right there and then, but he knew that the sisters would be here any minute now. 

"Well... I would like to do some work", Copia admitted, gently placing a hand on Papa's shoulder. He smiled lovingly at him before he moved his hand further up to stroke at the hair on the back of his neck. This made Papa close his eyes for a few moments, enjoying the caring touches. Copia sure was making it difficult for him to go back to work. 

"You do? Hm...", Papa hummed as he opened his eyes again. "You dont have to do anything today if you dont want to", he ensured him, now reaching out to discreetely touch the cardinal's thigh. 

"I do want to do something", Copia insisted. "I'm bored", he added, his smile slowly fading. "Please.. I need something..", he begged him, hoping that the pope wouldnt deny him this. 

"Well.. Alright then", Papa replied, giving him a reassuring smile. "If that's what you want, I have some paperwork that needs to be done", he said as he turned away to open one of the drawers in his desk. He had thought that his beloved would have liked a day off, but apparently he was wrong. He supposed that they were pretty similar in that way. 

"Yes. That's what I want", Copia replied, giving Papa a serious look. "Tomorrow too. And all days after that", he added, wanting to make sure that he understood that he needed his job. Just because he happened to be the unholy pope's significant other didnt mean that he wanted to be a house wife or to simply not do any work.  
When Papa had brought a stack of papers out from his drawer, he gave his cardinal a smile.

"I understand", he replied as he handed him the papers. He watched for a few moments as Copia looked through them before he gently grabbed his hips, pulling them to him to guide him down onto his lap. "I just thought you would like a day off. That's all", he explained, still smiling lovingly at him. The sweet gesture made Copia's heart soften again and he smiled back at his pope, wrapping his arms around his shoulders. 

"Thank you... I appreciate it", he replied, gazing into his eyes for a bit before he closed the gap between them. Butterflies fluttered around in his belly as they kissed and he sighed in satisfaction. Even though they had only been apart for a few hours, he had missed his pope terribly. 

Papa eagerly kissed him back, savoring every part of his soft, beautiful lips. He wrapped his own arms around his waist, holding him tightly to him. The more they kissed, the more hungry he got and he suspected that Copia might be feeling the same. He couldnt wait to get his hands on him when he was done with work for the day. They kissed for a few more moments before a knocking sound interrupted them, causing them to part. It had come from the door to Papa's quarters.

"They're here", he said calmly, throwing a gaze at the door to his office before he settled it on his cardinal. He didnt mind if someone caught them together, but he wasnt sure of how Copia felt about it and he didnt want him to feel embarrassed. To his surprise though, the cardinal didnt move off him but pressed his lips to his again, a bit more firmly this time, which unfortunately made blood rush down to his crotch. When they parted again, he smiled at him, calmly waiting as he pulled back and off of him to stack his papers on the desk. He could hear footsteps now and he just hoped that he wouldnt get an erection. There was something about his cardinal's last kiss that had really riled him up more than it should have.   
He decided to stand now and to exit his office to meet up with the sisters so that he could get it all over with. In the background, he heard Copia leaving the room too but his footsteps were going in another direction. He didnt really care what he was up to. He was welcome to roam around in his quarters as much as he liked. 

Before Copia teared his gaze off Papa's back, he smiled to himself, heading in the direction of a certain room. Once he arrived to the bedroom, he sat on the edge of the bed, carefully placing his papers on the bedside table. As he looked around in there, he was starting to get more curious about his beloved. He still didnt know alot about him. He had noticed that he liked purple, which should have been obvious to him all along because of his popal robes. It had just never crossed his mind. There were so many things he wanted to ask him. Like what he enjoyed doing or what his favorite food was. Just simple things like that. He thought these things through for another minute or so until Papa appeared in the doorway, snapping him out of his bubble of thoughts. 

"Hey.. Are you sleepy?" the pope asked with a slight smirk as he stepped into the room and towards the bed. It excited him to see Copia sitting on it, just waiting for him. 

"No", the cardinal replied, standing now and gathering his papers. "I will get to work now", he promised him as he watched him stepping closer to him.

"No rush", Papa replied, giving him a small smile. "I have to go out, but if you want to stay here and do your work, that's fine", he added, secretly hoping that the cardinal would say yes. He had really missed having someone to come home to. He hadnt been in a relationship for a couple of years, but had settled for just sleeping around instead. He wasnt sure of why, but he supposed that he hadnt met the right person yet. Not until now...

"Sure", Copia replied, smiling at him now. There was a moment of silence between them and he took this opportunity to lean in and give the pope a kiss. It earned him a smile in return. 

"Thank you.. I will see you later then", Papa said, reaching up to cup Copia's cheek for a moment. He gently brushed his thumb over his soft skin, taking in his beauty for another few seconds before he finally pulled back. 

"Yes... Take care", Copia replied, watching him leave before he too exited the bedroom. He figured that the livingroom would be a good place to work. Or maybe the kitchen would be a better idea. The last time he had tried to do work on the couch, he had ended up falling asleep and he couldnt let that happen again. He took the liberty to make some tea for himself before sitting down to look through the papers. The first two hours passed by rather quickly and he was almost done with everything. He decided on taking a short break which he would spend on Papa's bed. He felt energetic enough not to fall asleep at this point and so he allowed himself to close his eyes and wrap himself up in the blankets. They smelled like Papa and it made him feel calm and at peace. 

\---

In another part of the church, Papa was still busy with his work. He was currently rewriting a ritual, but was frustrated as he couldnt seem to get it right. Perhaps a short walk would do him good. He hadnt had any fresh air since his and Copia's morning walk. The memory of it made him smile and a warmth spread throughout him, making him feel more energized and more motivated suddenly. Leaving his work for now, he pushed away from the table he had been sitting at and stood to head for the nearest balcony. Before he could get half way there though, a ghoul came running from a corridor to his left. The distressed look on his face made Papa come to a sudden halt.

"What is going on?" he asked, waiting for the ghoul to stop and to catch his breath. 

"Papa... There are more creatures", he panted. "We need to get out of here", he explained, looking behind him where another ghoul came running. This made Papa's heart skip a beat and he felt fearful instantly. Not so much for his own life, but for Copia's. The last time he saw him, he was still at his quarters. Hopefully he was still there so that he could find him quickly. 

"I need to warn my cardinal", he told the ghoul, starting to move again.

"Papa! We need to get out now! They're everywhere", the ghoul insisted, now grabbing his arm to stop him. "Please Papa. You know the drill", he pleaded to him, looking very concerned. It made the pope think for a bit, but he eventually pulled his arm free and started to run down the corridor. 

"I need to make sure he's ok", he insisted, rounding the corner with the two ghouls after him. They were yelling at him to come back but he didnt care. All he could care about right now was his beloved Altaro. He had to stop dead in his tracks though when he rounded another corner. He was finding himself face to face with one of the intruders. It stood up on its hind legs, now growling softly at him. Unfortunately Papa was still in shock and he couldnt seem to move at all. He heard the ghouls calling for him in the background, but it didnt snap him out of it. The last thing he was aware of was a searing pain as the creature slashed him across his chest, making him fall back and hit his head against the hard wooden floor. 

\---

Back in Papa's quarters, Copia was still enjoying the pope's warm, cosy blankets. He realized that it had been a bad idea to lay down as he was now getting sleepy. He really should get back to work. Another minute passed before he found the motivation to push himself up into a sitting position, rubbing his eye tiredly. As he was gathering some energy to get out of bed, he suddenly heard a loud thud from somewhere closeby and jumped. It was all the motivation he needed to get up and he hurried to put his shoes on again before exiting the bedroom. He stopped outside of it, cautiously listening for more sounds. Maybe someone just dropped something really heavy, but it had sounded like more than that. He stood there frozen for a few more moments before he headed down the hallway to the front door. When he heard running footsteps outside, he opened the door to peek out through the slit. There were a few ghouls out there, seemingly evacuating people. His eyes widened for a moment and he took a step into the corridor, approaching them.

"What is going on?" he demanded to know, causing the ghoul closest to him to spin around and face him.

"Sir. We need to get you out of here", he said, grabbing his wrist as he started running. 

"W-what?" Copia stuttered, almost tripping over his own feet as he was yanked around, having no choice but to run. "Why? Where is Papa?" he demanded desperately. 

"He's well taken care of", the ghoul answered him as they headed for the nearest staircase. Copia didnt have the chance to even wonder how he could know that as something caught his attention suddenly. The corridors had split into two and a group of black, lizard like creatures were making their way down it towards them. Without warning, the ghoul stopped him and scooped him up in his arms. He then jumped up on the window sill, hardly giving him a chance to react before he jumped out. They were pretty high up and Copia closed his eyes as they fell. He had expected the impact with the ground to be more rough, but the ghoul landed surprisingly softly on it. He wanted to protest and to demand to see Papa, but he couldnt get any words out at the moment. He just felt stunned and confused. Disoriented somehow. As the ghoul rounded the corner of the church, Copia realized that they were at the garage where cars were waiting for them out in the driveway. He stumbled slightly when he was set down again, noting that there were other highly ranked clergy members there. None of them were Papa though...

"Where is Papa?" he panted, hoping that someone might have seen him alive and well. His head was starting to spin and his heart was pounding hard in his chest, making him feel weird. 

"He should have already left", one ghoul answered him as he helped some clergy members into a car. That was apparently it. No one seemed to be worried. He knew that their priority was to rescue the Papas first of all, and Sister Imperator of course, but he still couldnt stop worrying. He was suddenly forced to snap out of his bubble of panic when the ghoul who had taken him there encouraged him to get in the car closest to them. He didnt say anything but he complied and got in there, just staring ahead of him for a long time. There were a few other highly ranked cardinals in there with him. He knew them from before but he didnt say anything. He couldnt. All he could feel was panic and his heart thumping against his chest in a very uncomfortable way. He didnt know what to do. He wanted to go outside again and demand that someone got a hold of Papa for him, but he didnt want to act weird. He prayed that he was ok and that he would see him soon. If he was still in there and didnt make it out, he would never be able to forgive himself for not going in after him... 

As the car started to roll out onto the road, a distant scream reached his ears and he and the other passengers turned to look out the windows, seeing a sister being pushed out of a window on the fourth floor. Copia was paralized with fear as he watched her body collide with the ground. He wanted to look away, but he was too stunned to do it. It wasnt until seconds later that he managed to turn away to stare ahead of him again, not really focusing on anything anymore. His heart was aching terribly from sorrow and anxiety. All he wanted was to know that Papa was ok...

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this. Please let me know if you want me to continue <3


End file.
